


In Another Life

by ArielChelby



Series: In Another Life [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Daenerys Targaryen, BAMF Jon Snow, Childbirth, Daenerys Targaryen Lives, Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Friendship, Fluff, Happy Ending, Heavy Angst, Jon has dragons, Jonerys, Post-Season/Series 08 Finale, Romance, Shameless Smut, Targlings (ASoIaF), The kinkiest of kinks: love and affection, fuck d&d forever, the boat baby that was promised
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-05-30 15:12:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 57,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19405876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArielChelby/pseuds/ArielChelby
Summary: Jon Snow plans to live out the rest of his days at The Wall. Tormented by grief, surrounded by ghosts, he is there to pay for his most grievous sin. Until a storm comes over Castle Black and Jon hears more than thunder on the wind...Pinning him with her eyes, she moved closer, her face inches from his. "You're sorry?", she asked incredulously, "you couldn't befoul your precious honor to love me but you could do it to murder me".He breathed in deeply and looked down again as he began to lose his composure. "You know I didn't have a choice!"A fire lit in her eyes as she pushed hard against his chest with both hands, making him take a step back. "Didn't have a choice? Why did it have to be you?! I loved you! Rhaegal loved you!"





	1. The Storm

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [En Otra Vida](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20417897) by [AliveToLiveALie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliveToLiveALie/pseuds/AliveToLiveALie)



Everything was dark. That was all he knew. That and he had been here before. Again and again, near every night. He felt his pulse quicken and a heated flush broke out over his body.

Then came the cruel and familiar thunder, twisting his insides. He knew what would come next. _Oh, he knew._

_Please, no._

Lightning shot across the darkness, lighting it as bright as day and there before him, like always, he could see himself. His _old_ self... with _her,_ standing just before him.

His eyes were transfixed on her perfect, milk-white face and those violet eyes, holding his. They weren't filled with disbelief or pain. She didn't know yet what he intended to do. Every night he watched her play the fool and he the villain. Every night he begged under his breath for his former self to _stop! Reason with her. Beg her to get on Drogon and fly away with you_ _!_

From the deepest recesses of his tortured mind, he heard her voice begging _him_ during another shame-filled memory, " _please, don't do this!"._

His knees dropped to the hard ground below and he moaned as hot tears made paths down his cheeks.

The light had faded to darkness again but he could hear her clear voice ringing out and asking him to come back to her. The mix of pain and happiness the sound of her voice caused was unbearable and he wished desperately that he could hear her again. Not during this _foul_ memory but in his waking moments. He wanted to hear her voice in _new_ moments.

Lightening cracked its terrible whip again and he saw himself holding the love of his life in his arms for the _last time._

"Stop!", he yelled aloud but the sinister man before him heard nothing and neither did _she._

He heard himself tell her the same words as every night, " _you will always be my queen"._

"No!", he shouted and now he could feel his own traitorous hand on the pommel of the dagger as he pierced her heart. _Now_ she was in _his_ arms as the shock and pain filled those beautiful eyes and as life began to leave them. He could taste the smell of copper and his arms filled with her weight. He heard himself begin to scream...

He awoke to the sound of his own cries, tangled in his bedding, bed clothes soaked with sweat and his face wet with tears. He clutched his heaving chest and he began to focus on his breath until he started to feel normal.

Often, he awoke this way. He had some variation of that nightmare every night but only on _particularly_ bad nights did he switch from observer to actor. The mornings following those nights were dark and he felt a phantom pain in the hand that had held the dagger.

_Is this real?_ He wondered. How could she really be gone? Was he really back at The Wall?

How did I become the _fucking_ commander again? The thought made him angry and his blood began to boil. He had protested, of course, everyone looking at him like he was some kind of _legendary hero._ When he refused the nomination adamantly _,_ they simply dismissed it as humility _._ And of course, no one else put their name in the running against him.

_Gods, would he ever find peace?_

_No._

_You don't deserve peace. You murdered her. Your Queen. Your kin. Your lover._

A knock at the door prickled his insides as he fought the urge to rage at his visitor for the interruption. "Yes?", he called curtly.

The sound of a young girl answered, "I've brought your breakfast, Lord Commander".

Blowing out a breath, he washed his face in his hands before getting up to open the door. A dark-eyed northern girl, no more than 9 was there with a tray of food and a mug of mulled wine.

She didn't smile but held it up to him dutifully, " here you are, Lord Commander".

_Fucking Lord Commander._ The title made him cringe internally. He hated it as much as he did after the Red Woman brought him back, maybe more. It had only been about a month since he had arrived and it took less than a fortnight for him to be voted back into his former leadership role. 

_Another fucking title._ All he wanted was to be left alone to live out the rest of his days in whatever peace he could find. But he knew he wasn't worthy of peace. Being back at The Wall and shouldering the role of Lord Commander when the Night's Watch truly was purposeless again, was a hell he knew he deserved.

Many in this _new_ Night's Watch were simply displaced people following the wars that ripped the lands apart. This young girl was a survivor from Winterfell. Made it out of the crypts alive and having no family left, she sought to serve the North at The Wall, she had told him.

Women and girls were accepted along with the men now and the place seemed to be becoming a haven for misfits and cast-offs as well as for criminals and bastards.

This young girl reminded him of fierce little Lyanna Mormont. So many memories, too many ghosts.

He managed as polite a thank you as he could muster with his dreadful mood before taking the tray and closing the door. He knew today would be a _shit_ day.

It had been three months now since... _it happened_ _._ There had been some pleasant moments here and there. Reuniting with Ghost, even finding himself laughing with Tormund but most moments were plagued by dark thoughts and pain so overwhelming he felt he could drown in it. Grief and guilt. Guilt and grief. The pain pierced his heart so terribly sometimes he thought it could kill him. But that would never happen. No, that would be a mercy and mercy was not owed to Jon Snow.

He'd thought about ending it himself. The pain certainly didn't scare him. He knew, however, that he was meant to suffer for what he had done, necessary or not.

His thoughts were interrupted by booming thunder. His pulse began to quicken instantly as if he were back in his nightmare.

Dressing quickly, he left without even putting on his cloak and made his way outside. The wind was biting, blowing his hair in his eyes as he made his way to the courtyard. He nodded curtly at those who greeted him and waved dismissively at those who tried to talk to him.

He looked up at the dark grey sky, covered in dense, towering clouds. Dry lightning danced through it but the rain had yet to fall. He jumped when the thunder rolled again and then stood frozen for several seconds before he could move.

At that moment he decided he would forgo his responsibilities for the day and he retreated back to his quarters. What was he needed for anyway? The white walkers were gone, the Free Folk were allies and his king brother and queen sister had seen to it that the Night's Watch was well funded.

Adding logs to his hearth, he took his tray of food and sat on the ground before it. Watching the flames dance, he was taken back to memories of nights with his silver queen, to their second night on the ship to White Harbour. They had been lying naked in bed when she had told him she wanted to _show_ him something.

She had reached up above the headboard and taken a candle down from the wall sconce. He gasped as he watched her hold her slender fingers in the flame.

When she had removed them from the heat, he had taken her hand in his, finding it warm to the touch but unharmed. If he closed his eyes he could still see her small smile and the way her eyes glistened when he kissed those fingers.

Something had come over her then, and he held her to him while she cried softly against his chest until she had fallen asleep. He hadn't known what had made her cry that night and now... he never would. So many things he would never know and so many things he could never make right.

Another blast of thunder made him jump again, causing him to spill his mug of mulled wine down his front. "Seven hells!", he cried before throwing the offending mug into the flames.

Anger was raging through him now. It always came eventually. _Why had she done it? She had won! Women and children burned to ash! How could she put him in that position? If only she had shown any remorse, any sign that it would have been the end!_

He growled in anger before getting up and wolfishly pacing back and forth the length of the room, mind racing.

_How could I have turned her away? What was I thinking! I wanted her like mad!_

He had been her downfall in so many ways. _I should never have convinced her to_ _come north. I killed her when I did that. And I never should have told fucking Sansa! I should have trusted you, Dany!_

He heard her words in his mind again _, "If I had trusted you, everything would be different"._

With that memory, his anger dissipated and his heart felt like a weight that would bring him to his knees. Sitting back on his bed, he put his head in his hands and let his tears fall freely.

His body jerked when the thunder cracked again but this time a sound like a bellowing roar boomed after it, long and rage-filled. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and his breath caught in his throat. He might have thought he had imagined it until the familiar roar broke through again.

Fear and excitement gripped him equally. A strange hope leaped into his heart for but a moment before grief wrenched it back down. _Fool, even if that is a dragon you are hearing, his rider is long dead. You killed her._

Friend or foe, he knew that call was for him and he would answer it. If fate was kind, maybe Drogon would turn him to ash as he should have done when he had come upon his slain mother. Either way, he felt he owed the beast enough to face him.

Taking time to fasten his cloak this time, he hastened to the stables. He almost bit the head off of the brother manning them when he tried to suggest the weather too rough to ride. The same with the brothers at the gate who questioned his safety riding out in this storm. Of course, they had no choice but to let him pass. At least there was that advantage to being the commander.

The black mare neighed wearily but he coaxed her on as they left Castle Black behind and moved toward the Haunted Forest. Once the castle was out of sight, he again wondered if he had imagined it when the fearsome roar came again causing his horse to rear. Calming the nervous mare, he headed toward the sound.

Before he had a chance to travel much farther, the murderous mount of his fallen queen darkened an already malevolent sky. Black wings spread wide, molten eyes fixed right on him, moving as with the purpose of swallowing him whole, horse and all. The mare reared in a frenzy and Jon lost his seat, tumbling to the ground. He rolled along the ground to avoid crashing hooves and managed to grab hold of her reins before she could turn tail and run.

He climbed to his feet and was almost knocked back to the ground with the blowback of the black dread's wings as he landed in front of him, earth trembling beneath him. When the great beast stretched out its neck towards him and the trembling horse, it let loose another terrible roar and this time he did lose his footing.

When the horse cried and reared again, he let the reins drop. The walk back to Castle Black wouldn't kill him. Not with his luck, anyway. Finding courage again, he faced the formidable creature with a somber expression.

_"They're beautiful, aren't they?",_ came another whisper from the past.

He could feel more than anger coming from Drogon. There was longing there too, for the familiarity they had once shared. As he had on the shores of Dragonstone a lifetime ago, he removed a glove and reached out his hand to the beast.

To his surprise, Drogon simply snorted at him and bent his head low. What he saw then made him gasp loudly. The world around him began to fade and grow muffled and all he could see was _her_ violet eyes staring at him intently from underneath a dark blue hood.

He was close enough to tell her chest was heaving, and though she stared at him with what he could only imagine was hatred, there were tears in those eyes too.

His head started to spin and all he could do was slowly lower himself to the ground before his knees could give out.

This couldn't be real. Another nightmare to torment him. There were still mornings when he awoke not remembering she was dead and gone until reality came flooding back, starting the grief anew. This must be one of those dreams.

Except, when the wind let up he could hear her ragged breath and the sniffling she was trying to stiffle. He could see her cape billowing behind her in the storm. The cape looked too light for this region. _She must be cold._ Finding his voice, throat tight with emotion, he choked out as best he could manage, "Dany?"

He feared his call would end this dream... or nightmare, but instead he heard her cry harder and saw her put her face in her hands and weep.


	2. Whitetree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon and Dany have a heated reunion. The storm presses them to take shelter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Decided to shirk my other responsibilities because I was having so much fun writing lol
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Vaguely he became aware of the damp cold of the snow seeping through the fabric of his clothing as he sat in it, gaping at her like a fool. Silently chastising himself, he rose to his feet looking up at the woman who's loss he had been mourning these past three months. He watched her in disbelief as she continued to hide her face in her hands.

The wind picked up again and he had to shout to be heard. "Dany!", he called up to her, "I know you have no reason to trust me, but if you come down, I swear I won't hurt you".

Slowly, he watched her wipe her face and finding her composure, she met his gaze. He felt his heart begin to pound inside his chest to see her eyes lit up with life once again.

"Have a care for your own safety, Jon Snow. I am the one on the back of a dragon".

For a moment he wondered at her veiled threat. If she had sought him out for revenge, he certainly wouldn't blame her. Instead of raining down fire upon him, she slowly decended Drogon's wing, folded like a scaly stair.

He sucked in a breath to steady himself as he began to grow light headed. She walked right up to him, bold as ever, until she was close enough that he could reach out and touch her.

Studying her face, she looked as flawless as he had ever seen her, though her eyes were red from crying. It appeared not even death could mar her beauty.

"If you do plan to kill me _again_ , _Lord Commander_ , I do hope you make it more permanent. A beheading should do. A harder feat to perform in a lover's embrace, I would imagine".

Shame overcoming him, he had to look down, unable to meet her eyes. " Dany, I-"

"Do _not_ call me _Dany_ , Jon Snow", she rebuked him through gritted teeth, "You gave up that right".

He winced at her words, knowing they were true. He found the nerve to look up at her again as she waited expectantly. What could he say? Many a dark night he had lain awake trying to come up with the right words to tell her.

He regretted everything outside of their stolen time together... and he'd never love again after her. That he had had no other choice and he hated himself for it. He hadn't found the words on any of those nights and they failed him now just the same.

"Say something", she demanded as tears pooled in her eyes again.

Feeling stunned at the enormity of the present moment, all he could do was continue to stare at her. He heard her sniffle as she sucked in a breath before she yelled as he'd never heard her before, "say something!"

Anger overflowing, she smacked him hard across the face, with more force than he imagined she was capable.

Recovering from her attack he told her softly, "I'm sorry... more than you can know".

Pinning him with her eyes, she moved closer, her face inches from his. "You're _sorry_?", she asked incredulously, "you couldn't befoul your precious honor to _love_ me but you could do it to _murder_ me".

He breathed in deeply and looked down again as he began to lose his composure. "You know I didn't have a choice!", he cried.

A fire lit in her eyes as she pushed hard against his chest with both hands, making him take a step back. "Didn't have a _choice_? Why did it have to be _you_?! I _loved_ you! Rhaegal _loved_ you!"

"Daenerys, I..."

Pushing him again, tears freely rolling down her cheeks, "you played me false! You kissed my lips and plunged a dagger into my chest! Into my _heart_!"

Jon caught her by the wrists as she made to push him again. "And what do you think you did to _me_ , Dany?! Can you imagine what it took for me to do it?! You burned innocent women and children! You were planning to lay more cities and people to waste!"

A guttural moan escaped her lips as her knees gave way and she sunk to the ground. Still holding her wrists, he followed kneeling before her. Sobs wracked her body as she cried in anguish.

His heart ached for her but he went on, needing to explain. "Why did it have to be _me_? Do you think anyone else would have shown you more mercy? My sister baked Walder Frey's sons into a pie and served it to him before slitting his throat!" His voice broke but he continued, "I knew I could make it quick!"

"Yes. I suppose it was quick", she replied flatly. "I died quickly knowing it was by the hand of the man I loved. _Thank you_ for your _mercy"_.

Thunder and lightening cracked louder and closer than before, reminding him they were still in the middle of a storm.

"Daenerys, I know I failed you. I betrayed you but I will help you now", he told her sincerely.

Raising her head to pierce him with her glare again, she told him, "Would that things were different, Jon Snow, I would never choose to look upon your face again. If it were only my life alone, I would have thrown myself into the sea the same day the red priestess brought me back".

His eyes widened in realization.

His mouth went dry and he felt his heart would stop as he pulled her cloak aside at her abdomen with a familiarity he was no longer entitled to. He gasped when he saw the unmistakable roundness of her belly and felt his heart start to race.

She looked down at her swollen form as well with a deep sadness. "I didn't know", she spoke softly, "I was sick but thought it was from grief...fear. If I had known...", her voice broke, "everything would have been different".

Tears were streaming down his face now as he continued to stare at her belly, trying to figure out if it were real. What was he even feeling? Happiness? Horror?

Using a more commanding tone, she told him, "this is why I came to find you".

Courage returning, he nodded at her determinedly and taking her hands in his helped her rise to her feet.

"We need to find shelter. It isn't safe to take you back to Castle Black. Not yet anyway".

"I have a tent, but I don't think we'll get it up with this wind", she told him matter of factly.

He looked at her sideways and she raised her eyebrows and told him haughtily, "Don't look so surprised, Jon Snow. I know how to take care of myself".

"I know somewhere we can go to get out of the storm. It's not ideal but at least it's deserted".

With a rush the rain gave way, large drops soaking them quickly. Spring had come and it was no longer cold enough to snow, most days anyway.

"Alright", she accepted as she turned and made her way back up Drogon's wing. Looking back at him, she motioned to him, "come on then. If he didn't kill you after you put a knife in my heart, he certainly won't do it now".

Drogon growled low as if in warning and Jon quickly made his way up. He apologised as he had to lean into her to grab spikes to hold onto. She sat as straight as she could, limiting contact with him as much as possible, a difficult task with her imposing belly.

So much had changed between them. A chasm of pain and treachery separated them from what they once were.

"Where are we going?", she asked looking back at him over her shoulder.

"A little further north, an old Freefolk village in the forest, Whitetree. Biggest weirwood I've ever seen. We can't miss it".

To take to the skies on the back of a dragon again was exhilarating but he couldn't help but feel sorrow for the green dragon whom had once claimed him for a rider. He'd never voiced it out loud before but Rhaegal's death had been quite painful and he had felt responsible for his loss too. _I should have been there for both of them._

When the red leaves of the great weirwood came into view, he signaled for her to land. Before them, the enormous tree scoweled at them, it's fiendish mouth opened wide enough to swallow the two of them whole. A couple of humble houses stood on either side of the sinister tree, empty and long abandoned.

The heavy rain had transitioned to a light sprinkle. Jon guessed it was near evening with a few hours yet until dusk and thankfully even with the darkened sky there was still enough light.

Dismounting, Jon drew his sword out of habit as he checked each of the houses. With the white walkers gone and the Freefolk now allies, there wasn't much chance of danger here. The houses were all one room living spaces with packed dirt floors. There were no furnishings but they were dry. He picked the one furthest from the unnerving weirwood.

He found Dany standing in front of the great tree, gazing up at it with nervous facination. When he reached her side she told him with more curiosity than apprehension, "there are bones in its mouth".

Jon just nodded, looking at its bleeding face, "yes, but there's nothing here to harm us now".

"Very well", she said simply and walked back towards Drogon. "Could you help me with the saddle bags?"

At first he had thought he had heard her wrong and asked incredulously, "saddle bags? You put saddle bags on a dragon?"

Looking at Drogon, he didn't know how he had missed them, large canvas sacks strapped to his back behind each wing.

"How else do you expect for me to carry a tent and provisions?", she asked with a smirk.

Approaching the dragon, he inspected it. "I can't believe he let you".

"He wants what's best for his mother", she said with affection, petting the beasts snout.

Exercising caution, Jon undid one great bag and was surprised by the weight. He couldn't even get his arms around it. He thought to comment on it and then thought better of it. He moved all of her things inside the little hovel, relieving Drogon of his burden. Once free, the lone dragon took off into the storm.

Dany watched him go and then made her way into the shelter. It didn't take her long to look around the small room. She was inspecting a corner that still had a bed of dry straw when he told her, "I'll try to find some dry wood for a fire-"

"There's no need", she interrupted while stifling a yawn and pointing, "There is some firewood in that bag... and food and water".

She herself began rummaging through the second bag and began pulling out bedding furs and pillows.

Jon set to building a fire while Dany made a bed out of the pile of straw. Watching her from the corner of his eye, he saw her turn her back to him as she pulled down the hood of her cloak for the first time, revealing her silver hair shorn shorter than his, reaching only a little past her ears. While shocking, it did suit her.

Taking off her damp cloak, she draped it over one of her great bags before taking a seat beside him in front of the fire. She was wearing a plain, dark blue, long sleeved gown, no dragon broach, no braids. No trace of the queen she had been, only the woman he had loved.

Reaching into the fire, she let the flames lick her fingers, mesmerising them both.

She turned to him after a time, "you wear your hair down now. I only ever saw it that way when we were alone together".

He nodded in acknowledgement with a smile, "you had a habit of pulling my hair tie out as I recall".

She offered her own small smile, "well..., I did think you looked rather comely that way".

"I remember", he told her with a smirk. _I remember everything from our time together._

"You wear your hair differently too", he inquired.

Nodding curtly and turning her gaze back to the fire, she simply answered, "Yes".

Respecting her apparent wish to avoid that topic, he changed the subject. "We need to come up with plan".

"We do", she answered calmly.

"How long do we have?", he asked, "until the baby comes?"

Knitting her eyebrows in concern she answered softly, "I'm not sure. It's been about 3 months since the red priestess brought me back. Before that, it had been little more than 3 months since we had been together. I'd say 3 months? Less?"

"Where did you go before you came here?", he asked, unsure he really wanted to know.

"The first few weeks were a blur. The Red Temple wanted me to stay there in Volantis as their queen but I needed to move on. I'm _done_ being anyone's queen.

"They gave me a bag of gold, a tent and provisions. I must have spent a week surveying the coast, looking for a cliff to jump from. I felt nothing. Not the beating of my heart nor the sun on my face. Life for me had become constant misery".

Tenderly laying a hand on her belly, she went on, "And then, one morning I _did_ feel something- a little kick within me. It was so small I might have ignored it but I knew... I remember that was how it started with Rhaego...

"I knew then I had to find the will to live, not for me but for this child. I flew to Mereen. Did you know they still celebrate me there? There's a statue of me at the entrance to the city...".

"And then I went to find Daario", she started cautiously seeming half concerned he would get upset and half sure she also didn't care. Whether he had the right or not, Jon felt a surge of jealousy rush through his veins.

She went on, "He had loved me once and though I hadn't felt the same, he had never hurt me. We fucked for weeks and laid about on silk sheets, and... I still felt dead inside.

"Everyday my body was growing and the kicks became stronger. I decided then I... needed to find _you_..."

He nodded, trying to ignore the blinding jealousy

.

"But before I could do that", she went on taking on a wistful expression, "I had to visit an old friend, just settling in on the Island of Naath. He told me where I could find you... He also apologised profusely for not killing you".

"How did Greyworm know I'm Lord Commander?"

"He didn't. As soon as I heard you were here, I knew. The legendary _King in the North._ Banished for murdering the _Dragon Queen_ to save them all. I'm sure they were falling all over themselves to name you commander".

Wishing to change the subject again, he asked, "Where do you want to go?"

She looked at him hesitantly, "In truth, Jon, I haven't thought that far".

Meeting her gaze with a growing sense of urgency, "We haven't much time..."

"You don't understand", she told him sadly, "I found you because I know I can trust you better than anyone to raise our child. Even if I survive childbirth... well..."

His mouth opened in disbelief, "Daenerys, you can't mean-"

"Do you think this is what I want?", she cried, interrupting him. "I've always longed for a _living_ , _human_ child. I want to protect her, care for her, see her grow. But if I stay, she'll be treated with scorn. I've no love here but- you do".

"Then we'll go to Essos!"

"It's more than that! I can't live with it anymore!", she confessed. "With what I've done, with what I've lost... It's too much!"

Unshed tears filled her eyes as she went on, "Do you think this is easy for me?"

"Leaving is easier than staying!", he implored.

She snapped her eyes back to him. "You betrayed me, Jon", her voice breaking, "you said I would always be your queen and nothing could change that. Well, I _changed_ that and you stuck a knife in my _heart._ How do we just pretend none of it happened?"

"We can't", he answered, "I made mistakes, terrible mistakes. I should never have turned away your love and I should have trusted you. I should have been there for you in all ways. I can't change that I wasn't and you cannot change what you did. But you paid for your crime with your life. You freed _thousands_ of slaves and saved the _whole_ of westeros from the long night! I can forgive you, _Dany_. I hope one day you can forgive me".

Her tears began to flow freely at his confession, and she shook with sobs. "What about everyone else?", she asked meekly.

" _Fuck_ everyone else", he told her definitively.

She laughed lightly through her tears surprising them both. "You _are_ a changed man, Jon Snow".

He regarded her sadly, " _Of course_ I am".

Wiping her eyes on her sleeve she told him, "There is a part of me that wants what I think you are offering. A life together. One like I wanted before. I want to feel that love between us again. I'd never felt _anything_ like it. If I'm honest, I love you even now... But I'm so _angry_ with you. You were supposed to love me and you _betrayed_ me".

Cautiously, he reached out to brush her tear stained cheek with his hand and was relieved when she didn't pull away. "We won't solve all of our problems in a single evening".

She smiled softly at him and for a moment covered her hand with his. "On that, I think you are right".

Pulling back, she added, "I'm exhausted. I'm going to try to sleep".

He nodded and was confused when she looked at him expectantly. She blushed asking, "could you help me up?"

"Of course", he said getting up quickly and carefully helped her to her feet.

He tended to the fire for another hour before settling in for the night with his back against the door. He knew he was probably being overly cautious but there would be many people unhappy with the return of Daenerys Targaryen. She had given him a fur and an extra pillow and when he was satisfied that the fire was adequate and she was asleep, he followed her.

\-----------------------

A low moan in the dark wrenched him from sleep. Disoriented at first, it took several moments for him to recall the previous nights events. _Dany is alive. And carrying my child. A child I killed_... The thoughts made him feel nauseous and fearful but no less determined.

The fire was burning low and he could hear her soft cries coming from the bed. Making his way through the dark, he knelt beside her and whispered her name. As he got closer, he could see she was still sleeping, her face contorted in anguish. Valyrian words spilled from her lips as she cried and her small chest heaved with her labored breaths.

He called to her again, but she did not wake. Gently, he reached out to cup the side of her face, "it's alright, Dany". She recoiled from his touch momentarily and then leaned into it, calming somewhat. As he continued to caress her cheeks and brow, her breathing slowed and her features softened. When her breathing returned to normal, he kissed her lightly on her forehead and whispered, "I'm here, Dany".

Satisfied, she had returned to a more peaceful sleep, he made his way back to his spot against the door. Before he could settle down, he heard her cry out again.

Getting up again and taking his bedding with him, he climbed into the bed gingerly. He knew she might be upset in the morning but he couldn't stand to hear her pain. She was curled on her side at the edge of the bed and he cautiously laid beside her, wrapping an arm around her swollen belly, he whispered words of comfort until her body calmed again.

He marvelled at the idea that a baby was growing within her. _Poor child_. What a mess her parents lives had been.

His body froze when he felt a gentle push against his hand... and then another. His eyes began to sting. This was unbelievably insane. All of it. But if this was real, and he was going to be a father, he was going to do everything he could to give this child a chance at a good life. And her mother too...

Just when he felt himself falling back into sleep's embrace, she shifted, and still in a deep sleep rolled towards him, tucking her head under his chin and placing her small hand on his chest. His heart swelled, remembering their stolen nights tangled up like this. He kissed her forehead again before finding his own rest.


	3. Queenscrown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon and Dany seek sanctuary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 4th of July weekend! I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to Targaryen_Queen for the beta work!

The darkness had enveloped him again but this time when the thunder rolled, he felt ready for it. When the lightning lit up the world, he found himself not within the melted walls of King's Landing but standing alone in the round room of an empty tower.

From inside his own mind came a whisper:

_"You were wrong to love her_ _"._

The darkness came again and he began to hear a woman's cries. Dany's cries. She was crying out in agony. Fear gripped him and he began frantically searching for her in the dark.

_"You were wrong to leave her"._

When the lightning came again, she was lying on the ground before him. He dropped to her side and lifted her limp form. Her hair was cut short and she was wearing her blue gown but blood dripped from the corner of her mouth as it did on that terrible day.

_"You were wrong to_ _**murder** _ _her"._

He shook her body and called her name but she did not stir. To his horror, he looked down and saw her round, pregnant belly.

_"Queenslayer"._

He began to tremble and he opened his mouth to scream...

When he awoke, all he knew was a heat that he could only imagine was like King's Landing on a summer day. His mind quickly let go of the nightmare until it faded to nothing.

Dany's silver head was still tucked under his chin and he fought the urge to squirm away from the feel of her hot breath on his neck. One hand still resting on his chest and one leg laying across his own, only thin layers of clothing separated them. She was sleeping in her shift and him in a tunic and breeches. This was too much intimacy too soon but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Picking up her hand from where it rested on his chest, he examined it, reminiscing about times those once-pristine nails had scratched against his skin. Now those nails were broken and dirty, and blisters marred her palms. The sight pained him, though he was happy to see she still wore her mother's silver ring.

Kissing her palm, he placed her hand back on his chest as his fingers found her silver hair, now shorter than his own. She had fallen hard and from great heights but he had never seen her look so free.

He had anguished over her loss every day. It had only just started to feel real that she was truly gone and now... here she lay before him. Warm to the touch and breathing, belly swollen with his child. If this was just a dream, he prayed death would come before morning. If this was real, he wasn't going to let anything come between them again. Duty would never again be the death of love.

He braced himself as her eyelids fluttered open. She regarded him with momentary confusion before unwrapping her limbs from his and pulling away. He hated the cold that filled in the spaces she left. Now they laid on their sides facing one another.

Glaring at him she asked with a sharp tone, "I thought you were going to sleep on the floor?"

"I did. For a time", he told her somewhat defiantly. "You cry in your sleep. Did you know that?"

She looked down frustrated, tucking her loose short hair behind her ear, " I guess I forgot. It drove Daario mad when I did that".

"Such a _charming_ sellsword", he bit back before he could control his temper.

"You don't have the right to be jealous, Jon Snow", she told him, pulling the furs up to cover herself more fully.

"And yet I am", he growled.

"I've no words of comfort for you", she told him. He sensed some satisfaction in her tone.

"You move around in your sleep now. A lot", he told her with an almost accusatory tone, still prickled by the mention of the sellsword's name.

Something caught her attention and a slow smile pulled at her lips. She pulled the furs back down and placed a hand on her round belly. Hesitantly, she took his hand and placed it there as well.

He couldn't help the grin that came when he felt the same small kicks he had felt the night before.

"The baby makes sleep quite unrestful", she told him with a wistful smile, stroking her stomach. "Moving at all hours. I can only sleep on my side. My hips hurt awfully without a pillow between them".

Propping himself up on his elbow, he offered her his pillow. She thanked him quietly before positioning it between her thighs and knees.

Regarding him cautiously, she told him, "I must admit, I slept more soundly than I have in a _long_ time. I actually feel rested", she added, stretching her arms.

Jon knew what she meant. Since King's Landing, no matter how long he slept he awoke feeling exhausted. Nightmares plagued him every night and he often woke up covered in sweat, his heart pounding. He had slept better last night than he had since before the Night King had been defeated.

"Are you hungry?", he asked suddenly concerned.

"Not really", she told him honestly. "But when I don't eat I get sick and if I don't drink enough water I get terrible cramps".

He got up promptly and she directed him to where she had a canteen and food rations. Sitting up in bed, he watched her eat and drink dutifully.

A great crack of thunder boomed close by, startling him and he felt his body flush. He took a deep breath to calm himself and noticed Dany's worried expression as she watched him.

"It's nothing", he assured her with an uneasy smile, "I'm just a little on edge".

She nodded slowly and turned her attention back to her dried meat and stale bread.

"You need something fresh to eat. A warm meal", he commented regretfully. _I'm failing at fatherhood already,_ he thought.

"It's alright", she assured him. "When I was pregnant with Rhaego all I had to eat was horse meat".

"We still have to decide what we will do. Where will go".

Putting down her food, she looked at him thoughtfully, "aren't you bound by your vows? To the Night's Watch?"

"I would go with you even if I were but... _technically_ I haven't _actually_ said my vows yet..."

"But you're lord commander?"

"Not a lot of order when I arrived. No one really knows what they're doing or what the Night's Watch is even for".

" _Why_ is there a Night's Watch?"

"I believe Tyrion said we would "always need a place for _bastards and broken things"._

Dany scowled in disgust, "so much for breaking the wheel".

Putting a hand on her knee, he told her, "Tormund is preparing a faction of the Free Folk to leave Castle Black to resettle Queenscrown in less than a fortnight... I think the best thing for us to do now is to go with them. I don't know how to deliver a baby or how to help you if something goes wrong. I know they'll help us".

"Even me?", she asked with trepidation.

Giving her a sympathetic look he told her, "They know you as the woman who brought her dragons and armies north to _save_ _them_ ". He didn't add that he knew the Free Folk trusted him and would accept her because he did.

"I know they will help us", he went on attempting to allay her fears.

_"_ Your _siblings_ won't like the idea of the _Dragon Queen_ settling so close", she said her mood turning quickly. 

"Let me worry about them", he told her definitively, "they will be cautious but they are my family".

Her mood seemed to darken instantly as she snapped at him, "Yes, _your_ family. The family who left you to rot at the wall! Your family who treated me with disdain when I came to help!" 

Her voice was hitching now as more tears filled her violet eyes, "I was your true family and would have given you anything! And yet you chose them again and again!"

Gently he cupped the sides of her face and met her eyes, "I'm choosing you now".

She gave him a look that made plain her fear and mistrust even as his thumbs brushed away her falling tears.

He continued to try to reassure her that he would not repeat his past mistakes. "Things are different now. You are still _my_ queen but you aren't _the_ _queen_. I'm not a king in the north or warden, I'm just Jon. I am _just_ Jon and you are _just_ Dany". _My Dany,_ he thought.

Pulling away she shook her head. "I'm a fool for being here", her voice breaking as she spoke, "I came because I know you'll take care of our child but... I'm falling for you again... already...believing things I shouldn't ... You who have been my undoing... You who used my love to betray me... to kill me.

"Long ago I'd been told I would be betrayed three times... And once would be for love... but it wasn't _for_ love it was _with_ love. Love was the weapon, my greatest downfall.

"You want to know why I cut my hair? The Dothraki never cut their braid until they are defeated in battle... Well, you certainly defeated me. In truth, before you pierced my heart... When you convinced me to go north, my claim, my life... was forfeit.

"So, when the Red Priestess pulled _your_ dagger from _my_ heart and forced my soul back into this body, the first thing I did was use the dagger to cut my hair before throwing it into the sea".

Shame and anger consumed him and he had to look down for several moments before he could respond. "Aye, Dany. I betrayed you", his voice was thick with emotion and his eyes filled with tears, "I've had to do a lot of things in my life I never wanted to do, but nothing I've ever done came close to that. In truth, even now I don't know how I went through with it..."

Sobs overtook her as she sat with her head in her hands but she let Jon pull her into his arms.

"We have another chance here... Not a chance at power, but what has power ever done for either of us? Let them have it. Let them know the personal hell that comes with it, the loneliness. We have a chance to be the lovesick fools we were sailing to White Harbor... We can just live".

Sitting back up, she held his gaze and asked, "Remember the waterfall?"

His heart ached with guilt as they held each other's eyes but he nodded, "We could stay a thousand years...".

Unshed tears filled her eyes but she didn't look away, whispering, "We should have".

"Aye", he murmured.

Dany's face twisted in pain and she began to cry anew.

Pulling her into his lap, he whispered, "Oh, Dany".

"I only wanted to do what was right!", she wailed. "It all happened so fast at King's Landing! I had won at last. _So easily..._ after so many years. I would finally take the Iron Throne back for our family but... I had lost _everything_. Winning wasn't enough anymore. I was so _angry_ and... and once I started, I couldn't turn back! The further I went, the further I had to go. If I were to admit to myself what I did was wrong, how could I go forward?"

She was clutching him now and sobbing into his neck. In turn, he held her just as tightly.

"Hush, love", he whispered.

"I'm a monster!", she moaned.

"No", he told her, overwhelmed by the depths of her pain. He began to rock her in his arms, as much for himself as for her.

"I am! I'm the mad queen they feared I would be!", she lamented.

"Shh", he whispered in her ear, "I know you have a good heart".

\-----------------------

Jon wasn't sure how much time had passed as he sat on the little bed with his back against the wall, cradling the sleeping form of his former lover. He half envied her as his mind raced to formulate a plan.

Not wanting to worry her, he had overplayed his confidence. He knew that the brothers of the Night's Watch were likely searching for him right now if the mare had run straight back to the castle. As Lord Commander _and_ brother to the Queen in the North and King of the Seven Kingdoms, they would exhaust their resources to find him.

Things outside seemed to be quieting down and he knew they would need to fly away as soon as the weather permitted or they would be found.

It seemed she didn't remember his brother's ability to see present and past and he didn't look forward to reminding her. _Does Bran already know?,_ he wondered. If he'd been paying attention to Drogon, then they knew Dany was alive.

While he had assured her it woukd be ok, in truth he didn't know what his siblings would do. How far would their loyalty extend to him where Dany was concerned? Sansa had betrayed his trust already and in truth, he didn't really know them.

What he did know was that he was going to protect and care for her no matter what came their way. She was more vulnerable now than he could have ever imagined and he would not fail her again.

He knew he needed to wake her so they could prepare to leave. Taking in the sweet scent of her hair, he softly kissed the top of her head before he began to rouse her.

\-------------------

With her face hidden against his chest, she felt the reverberations of his voice as he spoke her name. She had told him _not_ to call her _Dany_ but he had fallen right back into using it... just like he had after the very first time she had asked him not to. And just like the first time, she began to love the way her name sounded with his Northern brogue.

She didn't want to leave the safety of his arms. Here she felt more like herself and less like a monster. In his arms she could pretend like the rest of the world didn't exist. _I'm finding safety in the arms of the man who plunged a dagger in my_ _heart,_ she mused _._

"Dany", he persisted, running a hand along her back, "we have to go".

She spoke without opening her eyes, "you are taking me to Queenscrown?"

"Aye", he replied, lifting her chin up to meet his eyes, " technically, you're taking me".

"Queenscrown, named for Good Queen Alysanne when she visited the north with her dragon, Silverwing".

"A fitting place then?", he asked nervously.

"Rather close to Castle Black, is it not?", she asked somewhat concerned.

"Aye, quite", he sighed, "no matter where we choose to go, our presence will not stay a secret. My brother... likely knows you are alive and is likely watching our movements".

Dany felt a chill run down her spine and she hugged herself while she looked around the room nervously.

He went on, "there aren't many people in this world I trust anymore, but I trust Tormund. The Free Folk do not like Southerners and they are fiercely loyal to those they consider friends. It would take more than a month for anyone from King's Landing... or Winterfell to get here... At least until you have the baby, it's the safest place I can think of".

"What about the men of the Night's Watch?"

"Well, they are currently leaderless... and unlikely to pick a fight with a dragon".

This idea had so many holes and uncertainties but when she came here she had expected Jon would stay north. _At least it's not Castle Black_ , she reasoned _._

Essos was a possibility but aside from Greyworm, she didn't have friends there anymore, only subjects. Subjects serving another newly elected queen. And she did not wish to burden Greyworm anymore.

Jon was loved in the north and that could mean their child could find happiness here. Whether or not Dany intended to stay...

Her plan had been to find Jon, have the baby, ensure she was safe and then leave. Whether she would live the life of a nomad or throw herself into the sea she hadn't decided but the more time she spent with Jon, the more she wanted to stay.

She knew, however, that no matter how pretty the dream, it was not for her. It was not what she deserved. A woman who killed children didn't deserve to raise one of her own.

Her nightmares were plagued with women and children running through the streets, _running from her._ How had she in an instant gone from someone who protects people from monsters to someone who would _burn_ children fleeing from her?

She fought the urge to moan and forced the thought from her mind. Pushing away from Jon, ignoring the momentary look of hurt on his face, she got up and dressed wordlessly. After a few moments, Jon got up and did the same.

Her cloak was still a little damp but she was thankful her boots were dry. Silently, they repacked before leaving the sanctuary of their little hovel.

The sun was bright in the blue, midday sky, the raindrops that clung to the houses and trees were the only signs the storm had been there.

Walking to her side, Jon regarded the blue sky nervously, "we need to leave. Now".

Dany closed her eyes and silently reached out to Drogon and in the span of a minute, the great dragon was landing before her. Since Rhaegal's death and especially since her own, Drogon had been overly attentive to his mother.

Not wasting time, Jon was already approaching with the great piece of leather for the saddlebags.

"Is he going to let me put this back on?"

Dany smiled at Drogon and pat his maw as the great beast hummed in satisfaction, "Of course".

Watching him clumsily throw the leather over, she had to turn away to hide her laughter. She giggled outright when Drogon reared his great horned head back toward Jon and snorted. Jon flinched but then stiffened his back and took a step toward the beast. Dany had to support her belly as she laughed harder.

Glaring at her, Jon remarked, "Seven hells, Dany! How did you manage to do this in your condition?"

"I didn't", she told him honestly, "Drogon had that on for several days before we found you".

The sympathetic look his dark eyes gave her pulled at her heart in a way she both loved and hated. Turning away, she made to carry one of the great bags when he rushed toward her and stopped her abruptly.

"I'll take care of that", he told her definitively and he set back to work.

While the air was brisk and snow still clung to the ground, there were patches of grass poking through here and there. A far cry from her first visit north. If not for the babe growing within her, she might have needed to dress warmer but as it was, she hadn't even felt the need to use her gloves.

Without a task, morbid curiosity drew her back to the front of the ghastly weirwood. Its eyes bleeding red seemed full of anger, promising retribution. She couldn't fathom how anyone could call this a sacred place.

Thinking back, she recalled daydreaming about marrying the former King in the North in front of the heart tree at Winterfell. _What a silly maid I was,_ she scolded herself _._

Nothing good had come from her time at Winterfell, her hopes of developing a relationship with Jon's family utterly decimated.

Turning to make her way back to Drogon, she yelped in surprise as she almost ran into a great white wolf. The top of Ghost's head almost reached her shoulder and he stood staring at her with his big, red eyes. One ear torn away from their battle with the dead, he looked more terrifying than ever.

She stood paralyzed and heard Jon's worried call and the sound of him drawing his sword.

"Ghost!", she heard him exclaim in relief and re-sheathing his sword, he came to her side.

"It's alright", he assured her, "he won't hurt you". Dany felt her body relax as she breathed a sigh of relief seeing Ghost lean into Jon's hand as he scratched behind his good ear.

"You two have never been properly acquainted".

"No we haven't", Dany breathed out.

She gasped when Ghost made the first move and gently pressed his nose into her protruding belly. Cautiously, she reached out her hand to him and he gently licked her.

She didn't understand why her eyes stung with tears but she was tired of crying and so she swallowed back the intrusive feelings.

Jon knelt beside Ghost so he was level with his eyes and placed a hand on his furry, white neck, "We're going now, boy. Go back to Tormund. We'll meet up soon". With that the great wolf trotted past them in the direction of Castle Black.

She felt him place a gentle hand on her shoulder as he told her they needed to leave. Nodding to avoid betraying her feelings, her throat thick with emotion, she let him lead the way back to their great mount. Once his back was to her, she quickly wiped away the wetness at her eyes.

\-------------------

They had taken the long way round and flown above the clouds to reduce the chances of being seen by the brothers and sisters of the Night's Watch. It was much colder being up so high, with the wind rushing through them and she was happy to have a warm body behind her.

Her heart was a torrent of emotions. A large part of her wanted to melt right back into him and act as though nothing had happened between now and when they stepped off the ship to White Harbor. Another part of her wanted to hate him... but she knew she never could.

While she felt safest and most at peace with him, she also felt vulnerable and insecure. He had rejected her again and again until the day he destroyed her utterly. Sometimes she wondered if this was another trick... but did it matter if she did not intend to stay?

"There it is!", he called to her.

As Drogon began to descend, a crumbling tower with yellow merlons, surrounded by water came into view. Dilapidated buildings that looked like they had once been homes and mercantile shops were spread about the area. It wasn't much of a town but she was elated to see green grass and trees.

"It's a good thing I have a tent", she remarked.

"We're not staying here. A little further that way", he told her pointing north.

They flew to an one-story farmhouse with an empty stable and a green fenced in pasture. No signs of life, human or otherwise. The fence had fallen down in some areas and the grass was overgrown but the house appeared to be intact.

On the ground, they looked around cautiously for signs of inhabitants and found none. Moving in front of her, Jon opened the door slowly, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword.

As he entered, Dany followed close behind. The house had the musty smell of having been shut up for quite a long time. Dust lay over every surface like a heavy blanket and thick cobwebs hung in ceiling corners and window frames. 

The house was one large rectangular room with a bed tucked against the right wall, a hearth in the middle and a small table and chairs to the left. The windows on the far side of the room cast golden light across the floor and overlooked the pasture. Dany was happy to see there was a wooden floor rather than the dirt floor of the home they had stayed in the night before.

A far cry from the castles she has grown used to but it had a simple charm to it. Better than she was expecting based on the previous nights accommodations and the state of Queenscrown.

"This will do", she told him approvingly.

He smiled at her warmly, looking relieved, "Good".

Looking around the home she found a little cabinet on the floor with humble wooden plates, cups and utensils along with a folded stack of linens. 

Kneeling on the ground before an old chest at the end of the bed, she found old clothes and more linens. 

"Whoever lived here, left everything behind", she wondered aloud, turning to Jon who was examining a bow he had found propped against a wall. "Do you think it was the white walkers?"

"No", he told her setting the bow aside, "the man who lived here bred horses for the Night's Watch. He was killed when I passed through here with the Free Folk".

"There are womens clothes in here too", she remarked holding up a white linen shift.

"The Free folk used to raid the nearby villages regularly. Many villagers were killed. It's why Queenscrown was abandoned".

"You came through here with Tormund and", she hesitated, " Ygritte?"

He looked startled by her use of his former wildling lover's name and looked down for a moment before nodding, "this is where... we parted ways. And where I got these scars", he remarked, running his fingers over the scars over his eyebrows.

A powerful mood came over her, the wave and intensity of it surprised her. She got up as abruptly as possible, using the chest as leverage.

Making her way over to the door, she threw over her shoulder curtly, "I need some fresh air".

"Dany-", she heard him call but she ignored him. Walking around the house, she went to the fence and rested her arms on it, looking out at the rolling field. Her stomach grumbled and she knew if she didn't eat soon she would start to get nauseous.

As if he knew, Jon came up behind her with some dry meat and bread. "Thank you", she told him flatly, taking the offering.

"If I've offended you-", he started until she interrupted.

"You left her!", she accused turning to face him, trembling with anger.

His mouth fell open and she saw a look of sincere hurt in his eyes before he could muster, "What?"

Turning away from him again, avoiding those dark eyes, she went on, "You left her!... and you left _me_...you _hurt_ me. Worse than anyone ever has!"

Releasing a long sigh, he leaned against the fence alongside her. "First, you don't know about my time with the Free Folk. It couldn't have been more different...", he trailed off. Starting again, he told her confidently "I'm not going anywhere... I know my word doesn't mean much to you now but I'm going to do everything I can to protect you... till the _end_ of my days".

Her body relaxed as she let go a shuddering breath, still unable to look at him, "I know. Or at least I know that's what I want to believe".

He nodded to her sadly and then suddenly the moment was broken by a restless roar from Drogon, still waiting to be relieved of his cumbersome load.

"Come on", Jon said offering his hand, "I need you to make sure he doesn't eat me while I get that contraption off of him".

\--------------------

The sun was setting now, inside their little hideaway the two sat cross-legged before the blazing hearth. Jon had chopped wood for the fire and Dany had made up the little bed.

It had taken some time to clear away the cobwebs and dust. While attacking a corner of webs with a broom, Dany had sneezed causing her to cry out in pain for the stretching of the ligaments of her ever changing body. Jon had tried to stop her from participating any further until she made it clear she would not be coddled for the next three months.

They sat with the little wooden mugs they had found in the cabinet, now filled with hot tea she had brought with her from Essos. Their cloaks were hanging up on pegs on the wall, and their boots were lined up under them. They sat in their plain clothes and stockings, none of the adornment they had had when they first met as a queen and a king. Jon's clothes the black color of the Night's Watch.

This suddenly struck her as funny and she snorted trying to suppress her laughter behind her hand. He looked at her with amused confusion, "What's funny?"

Lifting her cup she japed, "To the King in the North and the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms!"

He smirked at her and shook his head, "Seven hells". Then he added sincerely, "I don't miss it. I've felt more peace today than in the whole of the last 8 years".

The preposterousness of his statement, coupled with the fact that she knew it was true, only made her laugh harder until she felt a sharp pain and she cried out.

"Dany! Are you ok?"

"Yes", she managed to say through her mirth, "It hurts when I laugh too hard".

Now it was Jon who broke out in laughter, "It hurts when you sneeze and when you laugh!"

"How is that funny?", she joked slapping his arm playfully and then she leaned her head against his shoulder. There was a light and airy feeling about her head like she'd had too much wine.

"You know what else you do?", he asked teasingly, turning to face her.

"What do I do?", she asked with a bright smile, their faces inches apart.

He looked at her with mischief in his eyes, like he knew he shouldn't say it aloud, "you waddle".

She felt herself blush, and she giggled along with him in spite of herself. Though she tried to feign seriousness, she couldn't keep a straight face, "I do _not_ waddle".

She felt her heart begin to race as he held her gaze and he gently brushed hair from her eyes. Her whole body went weak as his soft lips brushed against hers and she couldn't stifle the moan that came from her belly.

When his hands found her back to pull her into him, the air left her lungs. The sounds around her became muffled and all she could see was her own limp body in his arms.

Pushing him back with both hands she hugged herself and tried to regain control of her breathing.

From far away, she heard her name being called but she couldn't answer. She felt him begin to rub her back and her panic spiked instantly. "Don't touch me!", she stammered as she continued to focus on her breath.

Slowly, her senses began to return and she regained control of her breathing. When her eyes could focus again, she found him looking at her with a pained, worried expression.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes", she started, " Jon, I-"

"It's ok, Dany", he assured her, "I'm going to go out and get some air for a moment. Will you be alright?"

Trying to hide her feelings of rejection, she replied, "Of course".

The sound of the door closing made her flinch, and she returned to studying the flames.

\------------

It was nearly full dark but the moon and stars lit up the cloudless night sky. His mind was racing, torturing him. The look of fear in her eyes cut deeply and he had no one to blame but himself. Yet another barrier existed between them and he didn't know if he could resolve it.

He wanted her, the way they had been before, the way she had begged him to be again... and he thought at least a part of her still wanted him too. _I moved too quickly,_ he thought. She had gone through so much and now he was rushing things like a selfish fool. _She might never be ready, might never want more,_ his dark thoughts taunted him.

_She's scared of me,_ came the unwanted thought. The realization hit like a punch in the gut. _Of course, she's afraid of me..._

He resolved that no matter how she needed him, he would be there for her and with that, he made his way back inside the little house.

When he re-entered, she was sitting up in bed, half under the furs, dressed in her shift. He smiled at her apologetically and she returned it in kind.

"I'll take the floor" he told her.

She regarded him for a moment before replying, "I'd rather you sleep here", she told him, gesturing to the spot beside her.

"If it would please you", he told her softly.

"It would please me", she said simply.

Undressing down his tunic and breeches, he climbed into the little bed beside her. Her head immediately found his shoulder as she tucked herself into his side and he knew it was more than he deserved.


	4. The Weirwood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon and Dany adjust to their new life.

The soft light of dawn was slowly creeping across the floor as Jon lay awake studying the ceiling while his mind agonized from one problem to the next. His silver-haired companion was sound asleep with her head resting against his shoulder. A leg and arm draped over him, she used his body to ease the pain in her hips.

It was almost unbearably hot and he had kicked the covers off for relief but he wouldn't complain. _At least I can provide her with that_ , he thought. Shame was starting to rear its head at the situation they were in. She was the woman carrying his child, and the best he could do for her was a cottage and rations.

He had dropped his guard yesterday, finding it utterly disarming to be in her presence again. While for now they had this little haven, he knew the world would not leave them alone and he needed to make sure he could protect her.

Would his brother or sister send assassins after her? Surely no one would attempt to rally a military force against her after seeing what she was able to do to the golden company. The only thing he was certain of was that he wasn't going to be able to let her out of his sight.

It pained him greatly that he couldn't take care of her properly. She had been a queen, used to castles and comforts yet here they were. He would have to wake her from her restful sleep to take her with him to go hunting this morning, round pregnant belly and all.

The thought of taking his pregnant queen through the woods racked him with guilt and he wished he could provide her with the life he knew she deserved. For whatever she had done, she had been through such pain and loss and she deserved to be taken care of. He would be happy to live off of the land away from the world but Dany had been used to so much more.

His dark musings were interrupted by Dany's humming as she began to stir and he smiled in spite of everything.

"I can _feel_ you brooding", she teased, her voice scratchy from sleep.

"Never", he replied sarcastically.

At that she chuckled, sat up slowly and stretched her arms above her head. Her little elbows pressed lightly into his chest as she knelt before him and held his gaze with a mischievous grin.

"When we were first together at Dragonstone, I would imagine kissing that brooding face of yours until you'd be nothing but smiles and sighs".

Her words sent his blood rushing, but he feigned disinterest, "I don't think it would have worked".

Taking the challenge, she peppered his face with chaste kisses as he chuckled.

"Ok, I was wrong", he admitted with a smile, rubbing her back.

"Tell me your troubles, Jon Snow", she asked with concern, "We only have each other, after all". There was something more behind her question she wasn't asking and he knew she too was feeling upset about the night before.

Sighing he brushed her cheek, "It's nothing, Dany. I just... I wish things were better for you".

"Things have been worse for me", she told him simply, "remember what I told you about how my brother and I had to live?"

"Of course I do. But... you belong in a castle with hot meals and servants-"

She interrupted him, "My time in castles has passed, ... like my time being queen".

The truth of her words stung but he knew they were true. "I suppose my time has passed as well", he agreed.

"Ah, but you have the love of the people. It is my hope that our child will have their love as well", she told him. Brushing his hair from his face she added, "May she favor you"

.

"Favor me? Then you'll have two brooding faces to contend with", he teased.

She regarded him sadly but did not respond. It was then he remembered she had told him she had thought to leave after then baby was born. The thought made him fearful and angry, but he put it aside for another time. He did not intend to let her go so easily.

Changing the subject he told her regretfully, "Your rations won't last us much longer. I need to hunt and I can't leave your here alone".

"It's alright, Jon. A walk in the woods won't hurt me"

.

\----------------------

The edge of the woods could be seen from their cottage, laying just north of it. It wasn't a great distance but Jon had still asked, "is this too far for you to walk?"

The absurdity of the question surprised her and she had to stop herself from laughing. Still, the gentle concern behind his words warmed her. Khal Drogo had never shown any care for her comfort while she carried his child.

"No, Jon. It's not too far", she told him with a mix of adoration and amusement.

The forest had an erie beauty with tall black trees, dusty green evergreens and oak. Spring birds were chirping happily and the place had a feel of having been untouched for sometime.

They didn't have to walk far into the woods until they came upon a promising expanse of briars, thorns and honey suckle. Jon pointed out rabbit tracks on the ground and she asked, "What do we do now? Do we have to stay very quiet".

"No, there's not much easier than hunting rabbits. You just scare them and get them when they run".

He laid his cloak across a fallen black ironwood tree and helped her to sit. She watched him as he intently tried to penetrate the haven of sprawling cover with his eyes. At first it was quite amusing to watch him stomp around the area, stopping and every 10 paces or so to wait, but after a time, her eyes were wandering around the forest.

She startled when she heard him loose an arrow, hitting a brown cottontail. 

"Good work!", she called excitedly.

He chuckled at her over his shoulder as he went to retrieve their kill and asked, "When did you become so easy to impress?"

She was blushing as he made his way over to her and lay a kiss on her forehead. A curious idea began formulating in her mind and she asked, "Do you think you could teach me?"

It was clear the question surprised him, "What? How to use a bow?"

She nodded, and he smiled in return. "Aye. I can teach you".

It hadn't occurred to her to learn to use a weapon before and certainly not to hunt but surely it would be necessary out here. At least, until she had the baby... After that, she didn't quite know.

Besides, the Free Folk were coming and from what Jon had told her, their women hunted and fought beside the men. She was starting to almost look forward to their arrival as she hadn't really gotten to know any before the battle with the dead. It would be wise to attempt to fit in. _Fit in? After King's Landing, you'll never fit in anywhere. And you don't deserve to,_ her internal voice chastised her.

When Jon finished hunting, he handed her the bow. "It's a bit big for you but it'll to do for now".

He showed her how to hold it and how to stand. When he pointed to a great oak to use as a target, she started to feel confident that it wouldn't be as difficult as she thought. Taking a breath, she loosed the arrow and it fell to the ground at her feet.

She sighed as she bent down to pick it up to try again. It was apparent Jon was trying to hide his amusement, and this annoyed her more than if he would have just laughed at her outright.

The second time she tried, the arrow hit the ground a yard ahead of her intended target but it filled her with satisfaction anyway.

"Better", he told her with a grin, "soon you'll be the one hunting supper".

"Maybe I'll catch something even bigger", she teased.

"Aye, just remember, whatever you kill, you have to drag back".

She snickered, as she made to take aim again when deep red leaves in the distance caught her eye.

"Look there", she said pointing, "Do you think that's another weirwood?"

"Aye, it could be", he replied matter of factly, "There are a lot of them up here and further north".

Bow in hand, she walked in the direction of the intriguing leaves and Jon followed closely beside her.

The great white trunk of a weirwood came into view at the far and of a clearing, bright red leaves providing delightful color to a rather dark forest.The morning sun was shining down through its leaves and onto the surface of a steaming pool that circled the sacred tree. The sight warmed her heart and made her feel sad.

"It's beautiful", she murmured as she made her way closer.

It had the bleeding eyes and mouth similar to the heart tree at Winterfell, erie but not as ghastly as the one in Whitetree.

She knelt before the pool and tread her slender fingers along the water's warm surface, "A hot spring", she said smiling at Jon over her shoulder.

Jon looked around appreciatively, "A private bath, until the Free Folk arrive anyway. Why don't we head back now? You can rest while I cook these up".

"Or... we could have a quick bath before we head back...", she suggested with a sly smile. 

Jon's eyes went wide but he quickly recovered, "now?"

"Why not now? It's been so long since I've been able to get clean", she insisted. The longer she looked at the steaming pool, the more she began to feel like dirt was caked onto her body. Her muscles and ligaments were crying out for relief.

"I don't know, Dany", he replied hesitantly, scanning the area.

"I'll be quick", she told him and turning her back to him she began to disrobe. She didn't need to look back to know that he had turned away and it brought a smile to her face. _It's better he not see yet,_ she thought, _I have to tell him first._

She sat at the spring's edge before slowly slipping in. The relief was immediate as her feet touched the sandy floor, her body enveloped in the soothing heat up to her neck. Ducking under, she began to rinse the grime off of her face and hair.

Already feeling rejuvenated, she moved to the water's edge and called out to her over cautious companion, "What are you waiting for, Jon Snow?"

He looked at her nervously, and appeared to be having his own internal conflict but the side warring to join her in the pool won out as he began to disrobe. She watched him undress, not giving him the courtesy he had given her, and she suddenly felt shy. Meloncholy colored her mood as she thought back to those dark months of missing him when he denied her.

She moved to the other side of the pool to distract herself and got a closer look at the mysterious face of the weirwood. It felt very much alive and almost like those red eyes could see her and that mouth could talk if it did so choose.

She was so entranced she almost startled when Jon made his way to her side, dark curls wet and gleaming in the sun. He was close enough to reach out and touch and she was already having trouble keeping her eyes on his face.

"Decided to join me?", she teased.

"Well, I thought you'd appreciate my company more if I were clean", he jested.

She began to feel heat growing low in her body, and she decided to change the subject, "There was a time when I fancied I'd marry you in front of a weirwood tree".

A true smile spread across his face, " _You_ had thought to marry _me_? I should be so lucky".

A warmth spread from her chest at the thought that he hadn't considered she'd want to marry him. Aside from being terribly handsome and brave, he had been the most powerful man in Westeros.

_"_ You never thought about it?", she asked with a smile but she was fearful of his answer.

"Of course I did. Imagined saying our vows to the old gods right there in the godswood in Winterfell".

"Would that it had turned out that way", she said solemnly.

"Aye", he replied simply.

" _Aye",_ she mimicked him to lighten the mood.

"Are you mocking me?", he asked with feigned outrage.

"Never! I'm just trying to acclimate. What's that other phrase you always use? _Seven hells!",_ she taunted him _._

_"_ That's it, come here!", he jested moving toward her in the water.

Laughing now she backed away from him but it didn't take long for him to catch her in an embrace. With that barrier broken, she wasted no time in wrapping her arms around his neck, her bare breasts pressing into his hard chest.

Her mouth found his, and he let her take the lead, following quickly. He tasted and smelled like she remembered and it set off a burst of warmth in her chest and in her core. The slide of his wicked tongue inside her mouth tingled the same way it used to and she moaned against his mouth in satisfaction.

She let her fingers remince along the scruff of his beard and then the contours of his chest. She basked in the sounds of his gruff pants and moans against her mouth. Her lips moved lower to find his neck while her hand dragged slowly down his abdomen to find his cock, already stiff from her attentions. A low moan escaped his lips as she stroked him.

"Stop!", he cried desperately as he removed her hand.

Dany was surprised and a part of her was sure he was going to put an end to their intimacy, but he picked her up roughly and pushed her against the edge of the pool. "I need to taste you", he growled.

"Jon, wait-"

It was too late. She looked down to see him frozen, his stare fixed on the red and puckered line of flesh just under her left breast and below her heart.

She released a breath as she felt his lips on her scar and tears streamed down her face. She heard him sniffle and his breath hitch as warm tears rolled down her belly. She could hardly believe how much her feelings had changed towards this man as maddeningly she searched for words of comfort, "Jon-"

"Don't", he interrupted, "don't".

Then his lips were on her neck and her pulse began to quicken again. Warmth and wetness pooled between her legs at the promises his kisses made as they awoke every nerve in her body. She reveled in the soft brush of those lips on her skin again and a smile broke across her face as she thought of all the places they were going.

When his tongue swirled around her nipple she felt like a maid for how much it affected her and her hands found his head to hold him there for as long as she could stand it. Breaking out of her release, he showed the same attentions to its twin, and when his fingers took to the other, she didn't know if she would last.

Her heart began to pound like a hammer as he made his way lower, leaving a trail of sweet kisses down her swollen abdomen. He hoisted her up so she was out of the water completely, her backside on the grass, supporting herself up on her elbows. He pulled her thighs apart leaving her completely exposed. Her stomach blocked her view and she thrilled at not knowing what he might do.

"Seven hells", she heard him utter and she felt him take in her scent. She whimpered as she felt him blow out a breath against her core and gasped as his lips made contact with her folds. He teased her at first with chaste kisses, but growing impatient his tongue soon found her core. He was groaning as he lapped at her juices and she knew he missed her as much as she missed him.

"Shall I give you what you want?", he asked, the reverberations of his question taunting her most needy areas.

"Gods yes!"

A soft long lick from her core to her desperate nub left her shuddering _. Then_ twice and a _third_ time until she was done with teasing. Softly and slowly his tongue played over her most sensitive spot as the sensation over took her. Nothing else in the world mattered except for his tongue on _that_ spot. She was at his mercy and he kept her gasping and moaning until her sweet released coursed through her body in a broken wail.

Returning to her senses, she found herself on her back completely. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the upside down face of the weirwood tree watching her. She sat up quickly and reached out to Jon, wrapping her arms back around his neck as he pulled her back into the warm pool.

His lips greedily found hers again and she laughed in delight.

"I don't know how I ever kept my hands off of you", he told her between his kisses.

She responded by nipping his shoulder, making him hiss until she soothed it with her tongue. "I want you inside of me", she told him definitively.

He growled and pulled her into him, "what about the baby?"

She laughed lightly and kissed his lips. Looking in his eyes she asked him, "Do you know what first made me fall in love with you?"

"Was it my unwavering refusal to bend the knee?", he teased.

"No", she laughed, "I could tell you wanted me... but you weren't trying to impress me. You weren't trying to win me like a conquest. You saw who I was as a woman and you cared about me".

He looked at her with eyes dark with emotion and kissed her sweetly. He moaned desperately when she reached down and stroked him again. Against his lips, she murmured, "I want you inside of me. It won't hurt the baby".

Breaking away from his embrace, she swam back to the side of the pool and braced her hands against it. Turning back to look at him over her shoulder, she beckoned him with her eyes.

Her breaths became more shallow as she heard him moving through the water towards her. He was kissing her neck and nibbling her ears as his fingers traced paths up her thighs and over her cheeks. Soon his fingers were exploring further, seeking out her core again.

"Please, Jon", she whispered.

Spreading her thighs apart, he thrust into her slowly and they both moaned. He kept up a slow pace, using her hips as leverage. Dirt crumbled under her fingers as she held on, her senses all focused on his pleasing strokes. She panted in approval as he picked up his pace.

"Is this alright?", he asked through his own panting.

"Yes!", she replied as he thrust deeper.

She felt him take one of her clenched hands off of the ledge and guide it to her impatient clit. One of his hands joined hers on the ledge while the other stayed on her hip. She began rubbing slow circles against herself, crying out, overwhelmed by sensation. His thrusts became more irratic and then they were both falling over the edge together, collapsing in a heap of sighs.

After a few moments he turned her around and pulled her back into his arms. "I feel like that weirwood tree has been watching us", she told him.

"Aye, I feel like we're supposed to be here".

She snorted, "you think the tree wanted to see us fuck?"

"No, I think I'm supposed to marry you here", he told her sincerely.

"What?", she laughed.

"Through it all I never stopped loving you... or wanting you. I was just trying to do what I thought was right.. and I was wrong. I don't deserve you, I never did but... marry me anyway".

"Jon, I fear you may have the wrong impression", she replied regarding him sadly, "I have told you I do not intend to stay".

She could see her words pained him but he didn't give up, "Maybe I'm still hoping I can change your mind".

"Jon, -"

"If nothing else, marry me for the baby. That she'll never carry the name bastard".

"We don't have a priest..."

"Northern weddings don't use priests. We just go before the weirwood and speak our vows to the old gods. The head of the household usually presides over the ceremony... and as the _oldest_ member of House Targaryen, I give us my blessing", he finished with a cheeky grin.

Her eyes began to glisten as she looked at him with regret, "Jon..., how can you marry me... after what I've done".

Gently, he cupped the sides of her face and brushed her smooth skin with his thumbs, "Dany, I have loved you like I've never loved another. I will always love you, no matter where you go, no matter what you do... There can never be another".

She held his gaze as her eyes filled with tears, swallowing before she replied, "I love you too. More than I could have imagined".

Pulling her into his arms fully, she wrapped her legs around him and he moved them closer to the tree.

She smiled at him truly, "so we're just going to say our vows here, naked as on our name days and in post-coital bliss?"

"Aye", he told her simply with a grin.

"I only know the vows of The Seven", she admitted.

"Than those will be our vows", he told her simply. "Are you ready?"

She wrapped her hands around his neck and nodded. They each took a breath and held each other's eyes as they recited together:

" _Father, Smith, Warrior_

_Mother, Maiden, Crone, Stranger_

_I am his and he is mine_

_From this day, until the end of my days_ ".

When they were done, both their eyes shined with emotion. Dany leaned into him for a deep kiss and Jon responded hungrily.

With great effort, she broke the kiss, pulling away to say, "Take me husband, I'm hungry".

\----------------------------------

It was only a couple hours past midday when they returned to their humble cottage. While Jon cleaned the rabbits, Dany busied herself inside making tea.

They took their places before the fire while their wild game sizzled on sticks.

When they were done, he handed her one with an apologetic smile.

Taking it she asked him, "what's that look for, Jon Snow? This fat rabbit is far from the worst thing I've ever eaten".

He felt guilt come over him for her current state of affairs and he looked at her regretfully, "I wish I could do more for you".

She looked down for a moment, "I wish things had been better for both of us. But... when I look back on my life... and I think of home... I still think of a little house in Bravos with a red door. I was barely old enough to remember and yet until my brother sold me, I only ever wished to go back there... not Westeros. That dream came later...

"Of all the palaces, castles and pyramids I lived in- even Dragonstone- they never felt like _that_ house", she finished.

He felt a flutter in his heart at her words. "Castles and titles haven't done either of us any favors".

He gave her a sheepish look before continuing, "it may sound strange to you, but I felt that way when I travelled with the Free Folk beyond the Wall. They live how they want and only follow who they want... call us kneelers".

She snorted in amusement as he went on, "they don't call children bastards and their women fight beside them, and just as fiercely".

"You do love your warrior women", she teased him.

"Aye, that I do", he chuckled. Then looking at her sincerely, he told her, "If you did stay, Dany, we could have a good life here".

Her eyes filled with tears at his words and she had to take a moment before responding, "yes, maybe we could".

\---------------------------------

It was only an hour past the morning meal, but it was already a hot day in King's Landing, as Lord Samwell Tarly hurried to an urgent council meeting. Things were chaotic in his chambers this morning with Gilly, Little Sam and the new baby and he was running late. At least, thanks to the new King's limitations, he didn't have to walk up countless stairs.

Somehow he managed to trip as he walked through the door into the small council meeting and all eyes of the assembled council were on him.

King Bran presided over the meeting at the head of the table with Lord Tyrion to his right and Ser Davos to his left. Ser Brienne and Lord Blackwater sat on opposite sides of each other. Sam mummbled his apologies as he went to take his seat next to Ser Brienne.

The king had never called an _urgent_ council meeting and Sam had been racking his brain to think what it could pertain to. King Bran began the meeting as usual, without pleasantries and with a vague and distant expression. "I've called you all here today discuss urgent matters. Daenerys Targaryen is alive".

There were audible gasps among the council and Sam himself felt like he had been splashed with cold water but Bran continued as though they were discussing supplies of grain.

"After she was killed, her dragon brought her body to Volantis where a red priestess named Kinvara brought her back to life".

He paused but everyone stared at him with gaping expressions, waiting for him to continue.

"She has returned to Westeros and currently resides just north of Queenscrown near Castle Black with my brother, Jon Snow".

"What?!", Ser Davos exclaimed in concern. Sam's own heart was racing in fear for his good friend.

"Jon Snow has broken his vows?", Brienne asked with surprise.

"He never took them", Bran replied flatly and without further explanation. Sam's mind was racing. He couldn't fathom how Jon could take up with her again. _She's a monster,_ he thought.

"And the queen he was banished for killing is alive", Ser Davos interjected leaning forward with both hands on the table.

"She's not a queen anymore", Tyrion stated matter of factly looking out a window.

"We must warn Queen Sansa", Brienne added urgently.

"Is Jon Snow safe, your grace?", Ser Davos questioned.

Turning his vacant expression to Ser Davos, Bran replied, "Jon is quite well. Daenerys is pregnant with his child".

The table erupted with worry, everyone talking at once save for Bronn who sat with his hands folded, unconcerned. 

Bile was rising in Sam's throat, _how could Jon give himself over to that evil woman? And now she was going to have his baby?_ He spoke up, "How can Jon be safe? How can _anyone_ be safe if she's here?".

Tyrion looked at no one in particular and stated calmly, "If she chooses to storm King's Landing or Winterfell, we won't be able to stop her before thousands of lives are lost- if we are able to stop her at all".

Continuing on unaffected, Bran informed them, "Thus far, Daenerys has shown no signs of planning to retake the Seven Kingdoms. She met with her former Master of War in Essos, but when he offered to pledge his life to her again, she refused. She came alone save for her dragon".

Sam could hardly believe the passivity of the council at this news, "We can't let her stay! Not after what she's done. How can we even let her live?", he exclaimed.

Brienne looked at him thoughtfully, "How can we do otherwise? Westeros didn't defeat Daenerys Targaryen. Jon Snow did. It appears he's switched sides".

Looking around the table, Davos reasoned, "I grew up in Kings Landing. I have as much a reason to despise her as anyone, but what about Jon? He's done more for the 7 kingdoms than everyone in this room combined. And now she's carrying his child".

Cryptically Bran interjected, "Everyone in this room has done terrible things, we just didn't have a weapon as powerful as a dragon".

Ser Davos continued, "Everyone in this room would do well to remember that we would all be dead were it not for Daenerys Targaryen. _And_ Jon Snow. Your sister may have killed the Night King, your grace, but she wouldn't have had the chance without her armies, dragons and the dragon glass she provided".

Brienne nodded her head in agreement, "I must admit, Ser Davos is right. If she means us no harm, we can repay the debt by letting her keep her life".

Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Wasn't the debt cancelled when she burned thousands of innocent women and _children?"_

Looking at King Bran, Bronn said simply, "Your grace, if you want the Targaryen girl dead, it can be done. All we need do is send one assassin and all _they_ have to do is wait for her to be asleep, and away from that big, fucking dragon. They can take her out as soon as Jon Snow leaves her side to take a piss."

Ser Davos stared daggers at the man, "While she is still pregnant or with the baby in her arms?"

Bronn shrugged his shoulders, completely unbothered, "However his grace wants it done".

The thought made him sick and he thought of Gilly and his boys, "We can't do that to Jon."

Bran turned his far away gaze to Lord Tyrion, "You have been unusually quiet Lord tyrion. What are your thoughts?"

Tyrion took a moment and looked around at all of the council members present, "I wish no harm to Daenerys... not anymore... and certainly not to Jon Snow. For her crimes, she was betrayed and murdered by the man she loved, all of her armies and conquests forfeighted. We cannot forget what she did here at King's landing... and neither can we forget what she did for the realm at Winterfell.

"That being said, she poses the greatest threat Westeros has ever seen. We can't pretend otherwise simply because we love Jon Snow".

"What do you propose?", Bran asked.

"I propose a more diplomatic approach than murder, your grace. At least for now".

"Such as?

"We reach out to them, remind them that we are able to monitor their whereabouts and intentions. We mean them no harm as long as they mean no harm to us. We give Jon Snow our blessing to leave the Night's Watch for good and we give them tokens of our good faith. With that she may feel satisfied and not seek to take back what she has lost", Tyrion proposed.

Ser Davos nodded in approval, "It could save us from throwing the country back into war".

"Saving thousands of lives", Brienne added.

Tyrion looked around darkly adding, "But make no mistake, we can never underestimate her. We will have to keep a watchful eye. If she indeed wishes to live her life in peace, then so be it but if her eye turns back to the throne, we cannot waste time with diplomacy".

"It's settled then", Bran stated. "Ser Davos, you will ride for Queenscrown to treat with my brother, Jon Snow. Lord Tyrion, you will ride for Winterfell to see my sister. Share with her this news and council restraint".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally done! I was in bed sick for 2 days last week and it put me behind. 
> 
> The next chapter probably will take 2 weeks because I'm going out of town.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!


	5. The Freefolk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon and Dany are falling in love with their sanctuary but they can't stay hidden forever.

He awoke with a lazy smile pulling at his lips having enjoyed a restful sleep without nightmares. He felt grateful for the steady rhythm of his heartbeat and the soothing flow of his breath. Yesterday had been something he could never have dreamed. Simple happiness with the woman he loved _without_ preparing for war or worrying about politics. No one to try to use or manipulate them.

The sunlight streaming in through the windows was warm on his face and he couldn't remember the last time he had ever slept so late. He and Daenerys had gotten to _know_ each other better as a new husband and wife the night before. Just thinking about everything they did and how much she had worn him out got his blood rushing.

When he felt empty space beside him, he shot up like a bolt and looked around the room to see her cloak and boots were gone. He sighed with irritation, they had just talked the night before, _at length_ , about the importance of her not going anywhere without him.

They didn't know what his brother and sister knew or if they would send cutthroats to find her. Yet it would seem, the very next morning she decided to go out on her own without so much as waking him.

Grabbing Longclaw, he barely had his boots on before he was hurrying out the door. His eyes searched the area for her bright hair, as he called her name. His fears began to run rampant when she didn't respond.

He scanned the skies for Drogon only to find them blue and cloudless, not a dark wing to be found. He ran through the stables, and his heart beat wildly as he found them empty. Against his will, his mind raced to dark possibilities. He never cared for his house words, but were anyone to harm her, he would surely bring down fire and blood.

When he heard her scream in the distance it cut through him like steel, stunning him for a moment before he was running full tilt to the west, in the direction of her cry.

\-----------------------

Dany had awoken in the morning with a grin on her face and a pleasant soreness down below. She couldn't remember the last time she had been in such a good mood. She rolled over to see her new husband snoring soundly into his pillow. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth reminiscing about the things she had done to him the night before, vowing to tire him out like this as often as she could.

Her mind turning to other things, she remembered the round wooden bath they had found out in the barn and the well near the stables. Now that she and Jon had been _reacquainted_ she couldn't get him off of her mind. She thought of how nice it would be to put him in a streaming hot bath... far more private than the hot springs. Filling a bath by heating water with their hearth would take her half a day but she knew that in Essos some would heat their bath water with hot stones.

She knew that going out on her own was probably ill-advised and yet she was starting to feel safe here. If she rode on Drogon, she'd be all but invincible, and she could be back before he woke up. The thought of surprising him made her all the more determined. 

As if he had read her mind, she heard Drogon call to her like a needy child with a demanding screech. She hadn't ridden him in a couple days and she could feel he was restless.

Drogon's warm scales were a pleasing comfort beneath her, as she searched the ground below. Barely had they left before they came upon a creek west of the cottage. She could have walked, had she known it was there.

About twenty yards to the north lay the dark and imposing forest. It seemed far more nefarious being near it alone and she imagined she could feel eyes upon her. _Best be quick_ , she thought, turning to look for smooth stones along the creek. The creek was wide and shallow and the water current was strong, rushing through the stony bed.

As she set to work filling a small sack, Drogon took to the sky again. "Where are you going ?", she called, watching him go. Food had been harder for him to come by now that she didn't have flocks of sheep or goats to keep for him. It seemed the dragon was growing more comfortable here as well if he was willing to leave her side for even a short while.

She looked around the area, feeling vulnerable but all she could see were trees, grass, and rocks. Knowing the hungry dragon would come back quickly if she called, she continued picking through the dirt by the water's edge.

She felt like she had just about enough when the snapping of a twig behind her caused the hair to stand up on the back of her neck. Quickly rising to her feet, her heart began to beat like a hammer as she saw a man in black emerge from the tree line. Silently she reached out to Drogon, while she tried to determine if she could make it to the cottage. The man stood staring at her with a smile on his face, looking half-mad.

"I know you", he told her with mirth in his voice, "you're the Dragon Queen".

"The dragon queen is dead", she replied with as much confidence as she could muster.

"I just saw you riding a dragon", he retorted with a wide smile.

"You did. And I expect he will be back soon", she threatened.

"I bet I'd get a pardon if I took you to King's Landing". Then taking a step toward her, he beckoned to her as if she were livestock, "Come here, love".

In an instant, Dany bolted toward the cottage and called out for Jon to help her. The disturbed man was able to overrun her and pulled both arms behind her back painfully.

"Let me go!", she demanded.

"I've never had a lady before. You got a man out here? He's a lucky one. He's gonna miss you!"

"Jon!", she screamed and he covered her mouth with one dirty hand, making her want to gag.

"You can scream for me later", he taunted her.

Managing to kick him hard on the shin, she was able to break away while he doubled over in pain. Pregnancy made running difficult and he was able to overtake her again, knocking her to the ground, face first. When her stomach hit the hard ground, the pain was both shocking and terrifying.

"Ok, I guess you can scream for me now", he threatened, hovering over her from behind.

Dany began to crawl forward as he came towards her until she saw the shadow of Drogon's wings cover the earth around her. She felt satisfaction in the way the man screamed in horror, and she sat up to see Drogon had landed right before him.

Shaking, she rose to her feet, dusting off her dress and moving aside just as the black dread bathed the man in flame. He was still screaming when Drogon began to eat him.

Her heart leaped in her throat as she saw Jon charging toward them sword in hand.

\------------------------

If his body were growing weary, he was unaware. A creek came into view and what he saw on the bank sent him into a blind rage and he drew his sword. A man of the Night's Watch was there with her and had her by the arms as she kicked and tried to escape. He watched in horror as the man threw her to the ground. She cried out clutching her stomach as he made his way to force himself on her.

Close now, he drew up his sword, preparing to strike when the sky darkened like a storm and Drogon's fierce roar almost made him lose his balance.

He heard the man scream, as Drogon landed before them, with Jon almost barrelling into his spiked tail. He felt the heat of the dragon's flame before he heard the man cry out in agony.

Running to Dany, he saw her watching him with tears in her eyes and chest heaving.

"Dany!", he cried rushing to her side and pulling her into his arms. She melted into him and began to sob while he looked her over for injuries.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"The baby!", she cried, "I fell on my stomach!"

Rage and fear charged through his veins but he rocked her in his arms, and assured her, "I'm sure she's alright".

"I'm scared", she admitted through her tears.

Looking her in the face, he told her as much for her as for himself, "It will be alright".

Looking to Drogon, he could see he was still _eating_. He had never seen a dragon eat a man before and he had to swallow back the bile in his throat to press on.

"Did he say who he was or why he was here?", Jon asked her urgently.

Dany shook her head, "No, but he knew who I was and said he would take me to King's Landing for a pardon".

"A deserter then", Jon said, scanning the area.

After he had finished his gruesome meal, Drogon obliged by folding his wing while Jon helped guide Dany up.

"My bag", she told him nodding back to the shore and Jon saw a small sack he hadn't noticed before. Retrieving it, he looked inside to see it contained rocks. The idea that a bag of rocks was what brought her out on her own made him intensely angry but he decided he had to set that aside for the time being.

As they were flying back the short distance to their cottage, Dany cried out and put a hand to her stomach.

"What is it?!", Jon asked concerned.

"The baby! She's kicking!", Dany cried.

Jon felt relief wash over him and he kissed her cheek which was wet with tears.

"I think she's going to be alright", she breathed out.

\-----------------------

Dany was exhausted from her early morning ordeal as they touched down back at their little home. She was feeling like an idiot for what had transpired and grateful Jon had been there. Drogon could protect her but Jon made her feel like she wasn't alone.

Approaching him slowly, she took his hands, looking up at him, "thank you, for coming to save me".

"What were you doing out there alone?", he asked cooly.

A little taken aback by his sudden shift in mood, she tried to explain that she had gone for the rocks, feeling quite stupid to be saying it aloud.

"Rocks? That was so urgent you couldn't wake me", he answered looking at her intently.

He continued to stare at her while she looked at him agape, "I'm waiting for you to say something", he said calmly but she sensed a storm behind his words.

"What?", she asked incredulously, removing her hands from his, her own ire rising now, "I'm attacked and you want me to what? Apologize?!"

"You were attacked because you went off on your own!", he said beginning to raise his voice, anger boiling over.

His words stung at first as she couldn't imagine he believed what he was saying. Then an air of indignation took over and she stepped into him. "I went on a dragon! You're saying it's my fault?!", the pitch of her voice rising.

Jon held his ground. "You went without me! I had just _told_ you not to go anywhere alone!", he yelled.

"You had just _told_ me? You don't tell me what to do, Jon Snow! You think because I'm your wife now that I'm your property!" She was seething now. While she was no longer queen, she would not be ruled by a husband.

"Seven hells, you stubborn woman! You could have been killed!", his face beginning to turn red. At that he turned away, clenching his fists at his side while he paced.

"I know that, you stupid man!", angry tears stinging her eyes. She saw him flinch at her words and he rounded back on her.

"You can't just walk around doing whatever you please! You have to talk to me!"

"You are not going to dictate my life! I may not be a Queen anymore but I will not be scolded like a child!"

"I'm not trying to dictate your life, I'm trying to help you keep it!", he was shaking with anger but a look came over his eyes and she knew he was ashamed of his behavior.

Dark eyes shining, he approached her again, making an effort to speak softly, "Daenerys, do you have any idea what it did to me when I heard you scream?"

His words touched her, and she looked at the ground, suddenly unable to meet his eyes, "How helpless I felt running, not sure if I would find you in time? You're right, I don't own you, I don't want to dictate your life and I do know I am asking a lot, but for now, please just do _as I ask_ ".

Her resolve melted away at hearing the pain and fear in his voice. She knew it had been foolish but she had been starting to feel so comfortable here, _with him_. Like the outside world couldn't penetrate or even darken this haven they were creating.

"I'm sorry, Jon", she told him truly.

"I'm sorry too. Of course, what happened wasn't your fault", he told her, shoulders falling as he pulled her close to him, "We need to be smarter. We've both been dropping our guard, taking risks we shouldn't. We have no reason to think we're safe".

\------------------------

Deciding to make do with what they had left for rations, Dany tried to sleep away the dark events of the morning while Jon busied himself chopping wood and sharpening his sword. When she awoke in the early afternoon, they went back out into the forest to hunt. Jon shot down a pheasant and they made their way home, ignoring the tempting call of the hot spring.

As they sat eating later in the day, Dany mused aloud, "we're going to have to learn how to cook, seeing as we don't have servants anymore. In all my travels, that's one thing I've never done".

"I know how to cook. Had to do it often in the Nights Watch and with the Freefolk".

She laughed quietly, "yes, you are very good at skinning and plucking things before roasting them on a fire".

He narrowed his eyes at her and then smiled, knowing she was right.

The rest of the afternoon passed by peacefully with Jon teaching her to make arrows with the feathers from the pheasant and Dany practicing with the bow. Jon told her she was learning quickly and she hoped he wasn't just flattering her.

"Maybe you could teach me how to use a sword properly too", Dany suggested.

Jon gave her a sly smile, before unsheathing his sword and handing it to her hilt first. She took the hilt with both hands, but it still dropped to the ground like an anvil as Jon chuckled.

Dany glared at him, still holding onto the sword with the blade resting in the dirt, "Don't forget, I used a sword in the battle at Winterfell".

Jon turned solemn at the reminder, "Aye. Maybe we can find you something smaller".

As the evening pressed on, they found themselves sitting on a hill overlooking the green pasture as the setting sun bathed it with golden light. Dany couldn't remember the last time she had watched a sunset, and never while feeling this peaceful at the same time. They sat side by side, and she leaned against him, her arm wrapped around his and her head pressed against his shoulder. Only comfortable silence between them, they stayed there until they were on their backs looking up at a dark, cloudless sky dripping with stars.

Lying next to the man she loved like no other, under the starry sky, she felt her heart swell and her eyes glisten, though she would have trouble explaining why. With half the grace she had before pregnancy, she climbed over him and straddled his waist. Looking down at him, she told him, "Thank you, Jon. For bringing me here".

He just smiled at her and carefully pulled her down onto him, taking her lips with his. She didn't know how long they lay like that, lips and tongues mingling until the eerie feeling of being watched came over her again. Looking up, she was startled to see a furry white face with red eyes watching her intently and she gasped, almost falling backward.

Jon sat up calmly and drew Dany back into him before greeting Ghost with a scratch behind the ears.

"You knew he was there, didn't you?", she accused him.

"Only a moment before you", he replied giving her a sheepish look.

Turning back to Ghost, he said, "I'm glad you're here, boy. You can help me keep an eye on her. It's been quite a lot of work recently".

She slapped him playfully, and asked, "Do you think this means the Freefolk are coming?"

"Aye, they will probably be here before tomorrow afternoon".

Her face must have reflected the regret that pitted deep in her gut because he threaded his fingers through her hair and leaned his forehead against hers and told her softly, "It will be ok. I promise".

She closed her eyes and took in the comfort of his touch.

\----------------

It was early morning and the air was still brisk as Jon stood near the weirwood in the forest, preparing to leave Dany behind. The hood of her cloak was pulled up and she stood before him with one hand on the back of Ghost's neck. The worried look in her wide eyes gave him a sinking feeling that made leaving her all the more difficult. She would be safer if she remained hidden until he could find Tormund.

Pulling her into him by her waist, he leaned his forehead into hers and told her somberly, "I'd never leave you like this unless I had to".

"I know", she told him quietly.

"Ghost will protect you with his life. He could probably do a better job than me and Drogon can protect you better than an entire army", he assured her.

The way she looked up at him with fear in her shining bright eyes made his throat tighten. He knew she wasn't worried about her physical safety and it made him heartsick to think there was still a part of her that didn't fully trust him. "I will be back as soon as I can".

Tucking her head under his chin, she hugged him tightly and responded with a steady voice, "you had better".

\------------------------------

As soon as he left the clearing fear crept into her heart and spread throughout her body. _He could betray me again_ , came a traitorous thought. _Something could happen to him and then I'll truly be alone_ , she fretted, her anxiety turning to panic. Her heart began to beat faster as more unwelcome thoughts followed. Feeling faint, she slowly lowered herself to the ground and tried to focus on the things she saw around her. 

In her peripheral, she saw Ghost approach slowly. With caution she reached out and ran her fingers through his white fur, finding it calming. When he sat before her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stayed that way until the dark thoughts subsided.

\-------------------------

As Jon stood hidden behind some dilapidated building in Queenscrown, he scolded himself for not coming up with a better plan to reach Tormund. He felt certain it wouldn't matter if he ran into any of the other Freefolk but the stakes were high and he needed to protect her.

He had been waiting an hour, under the pale sun of the grey morning, when he saw Tormund and a few other scouts make their approach. For lack of a better idea, Jon waited until Tormund was close and threw a pebble at him. Tormund looked surprised for but a moment and then drew his weapon and went stalking toward where Jon hid.

The tall red head's face lit up when he saw him and Jon quickly put his fingers to his lips. Tormund nodded in understanding, and took a step back calling to the other scouts, "Go back and tell the others it's safe! I'm going to take a look further north!"

Silently, the two made their way north of the old village. Once they were sure they were alone, Tormund's face lit up again and he pulled Jon into a hug.

"Ha! King Crow! I knew you were out there somewhere! You got them southerners at Castle Black _shitting_ themselves looking for you! They think you must be dead. Trying to run off with the Freefolk are you?"

"I'm sorry if I worried you, friend".

Clapping him on the back, he told him, "You didn't worry me, little crow, I've seen you survive more than a storm".

Jon relayed the events of the last several days as Tormund's eyebrows moved to his forehead.

"The Dragon Queen... who you killed... came and found you with her dragon... and didn't kill you?"

Jon nodded.

"And you want to stay with us now so you can stay hidden from your brother and sister who may want to kill her?"

"Yes".

"Ha! Jon Snow, prettier than everyone's daughters! He can kill a woman and she'll still want to share his bed!"

His words were like daggers but he knew his old friend meant no harm. "Daenerys is... she's carrying my child".

Tormund's laughter was booming, "Congratulations, Snow! You've broken all your vows now", he told him clapping him on the back harder. "Welcome to fatherhood".

"I'd never want to put the Freefolk in danger. I'm hoping we can stay with you at least until the baby is born".

"If your queen still has that great black nightmare, I don't see what your brother and sister can do about it. I told you, you've got the _real_ north in you. The Freefolk will always welcome you. You and your dragon queen who saved our asses in the North and at Winterfell. Maybe she'll let me ride him again, eh?".

Jon felt touched by his friend's acceptance, though he had expected as much, "Thank you, friend".

"Come on, take me to where your little queen is hiding!"

\--------------------------

As the sun moved higher in the sky, Dany wandered the edges of the clearing, Ghost faithfully at her heel. She scolded herself for panicking like a scared child. Whatever her fate held, she decided she would handle it with the dignity and bravery of her former self and not crying like the willowy maid she had become.

Picking up the oversized bow, she began practicing again, using a fallen tree for a target. Frustration clouded her mind when she missed and she focused on clearing it of all of her current chaos.

Managing to hit her intended target three times, she felt her determination build as she went to retrieve her arrows. A woman's voice called to her from close behind, and Dany felt her blood freeze.

"What's this? A would-be spear wife?", came the voice with a mocking tone.

Turning slowly, Dany's eyes took in the sight of a beautiful woman, not much older than her, with hair like dark honey that spilled down to her waist in waves. She was dressed all in white, down to her breeches and white leather boots.

_A wildling woman_ , she surmised.

"Who are you?", Dany demanded, holding her head high and drawing her bow as Ghost stood up at her side.

"Careful, southern girl, I've seen that you don't know how to use that". The woman approached slowly, knelt down and held out a hand to Ghost, who to Dany's horror, greeted the strange woman with a lick.

"Who are you?", Dany demanded again, putting down her bow, "Where is Jon?"

The woman smiled up at her, "Lord Snow? He's on his way here with Tormund, I expect". Standing, the woman regarded Dany curiously, "I'm Val. A woman of the Freefolk and a friend to your Lord Snow. I came ahead to see you for myself. I saw you ride your great dragon into battle at Winterfell. It was quite impressive. Then I heard you went mad down south and Jon Snow killed you".

A torrent of emotions bloomed in her chest: shame, embarrassment, anger, even jealousy, but she continued to hold her head high, and said, "And then a red priestess brought me back to life and here I stand".

Val raised her eyebrows at Dany's confession, " And you're carrying Jon Snow's child?"

"Yes".

"And you're not mad anymore? You don't seem mad to me".

"No, I'm not _mad_ ".

"You say a red priestess brought you back? Are you a follower of R'hllor?".

"I keep _no_ gods".

Val looked to the skies and told her, "Your dragon does give me pause. My sister used to say fire is a fickle thing, you never know which way the flame will turn".

"You needn't worry. My dragon won't harm anyone unless they are a threat to me. I've no ambition for crowns and kingdoms anymore. My flame is all but burned out".

Val gave her a knowing smile, "Oh, your fires burn strong, Dragon Queen. Anyone can see that. As long as your flame doesn't burn the Freefolk, you are welcome among us". Giving Dany a thoughtful look she added, "a woman with child needs her gods. Perhaps I can introduce you to mine".

Realization sparked in Dany's mind, " you're the one they call the wildling princess? If I'm not mistaken, I heard many of my Dothraki riders were quite taken with you".

"Well, you know how men are. It was a welcome reprieve when they had you to gawk at in Winterfell. I bet men speak quite sweetly to a woman who tames dragons".

Feeling herself relax, Dany smiled and responded, "usually. Thank you for giving me your blessing to stay. I have no wish to bring any trouble to your people ".

Alone in the clearing, Val asked questions about Dany's pregnancy and answered questions about Freefolk customs, varied as they were. Dany found being in Val's company refreshing, and her heart longed deeply for Missandei. She missed her lost friend every day.

Before Dany heard them approach, Val told her, "Your Lord Snow is here".

Dany turned to look toward the other end of the clearing just as Jon appeared there with Tormund Giantsbane close behind. She saw Jon pause momentarily, likely unnerved seeing she wasn't alone, and then he quickly made his way toward her.

\----------------

This had not been a sight Jon had expected. Before he had met Dany, Val had been the loveliest woman he had ever seen. To see the two together would set any man's heart to race. He had all but ignored Val since his disgraceful return to the Night's Watch. Though he had considered her a friend, when the light hit her just right, her hair shined like silver and being reminded of Dany was devastating.

Val broke the silence first, "Hello Lord Snow, it would seem I found your spear wife".

"So you have", he replied in a friendly tone, "I'm glad to see she's in one piece".

Val's smile was wide, "I'd never cross a woman with a dragon. Your southern lady needs a weapon... and a better bow".

"I couldn't agree more", he replied, making his way over to Dany. He was grateful to see she was content as she took his arm.

Tormund walked up to greet her and told her, "You are welcome among the Freefolk, Mother of Dragons. No matter what those southerners say".

Dany's eyes shined at Tormund's welcome and she thanked him sincerely. It was a brief encounter as shortly after, he told them he had to get back to help set up camp but he insisted they join them for the evening meal.

When they were alone again, Jon took her head between his hands and kissed her hungrily. "I hated being away from you. Even in that short time I was worried something might happen", he confessed.

"I know what you mean", she replied, then added, "I was very happy to meet Val. I've truly missed having a female companion".

Jon kissed her again and added with an amused smile," yes, you two are very alike".

He heard caution in her voice as she asked, "Was there ever anything between you?", and suddenly his collar felt too tight.

He cleared his throat and then answered quickly, "No. Well, Stannis did offer to name me Stark and marry me to her but I turned him down".

There was amusement in her eyes as she told him, "It's alright, Jon. She's quite beautiful and I was just curious. I know you love me".

\-----------------------

The sun was starting to set as they made their way down the path towards the encampment of the Freefolk. Dany was holding Jon's arm and walking carefully on the stony road.

"Are you nervous?", Jon asked.

"A little", she replied.

"Don't be. The Freefolk respect strength and honesty. What man or woman who ever lived has been stronger than you?".

She gave him a look that reflected the warmth blooming in her chest at his words and he smiled at her in return.

"Are you nervous?", she asked with a smile.

"Yes. I'm nervous about what you will think of them".

As they approached, a great bonfire came into view with about thirty men and women sitting on the ground around it and many more coming and going. Most had horns of ale and others were eating bowls of stew, the smell of which had Dany's mouth watering.

Tormund, who appeared to be in the middle of a tale, gestured to them as they approached, "Ha! Here we have King Crow and his Dragon Queen! Leaving kneeling behind to join the Freefolk!"

There were cheers and horns raised in their direction but Dany knew well enough the cheers were for Jon.

They took seats on the hard ground in front of the heat of the fire and people passed them both horns of ale and bowls of stew. To Dany, it tasted incredible and she began devouring it quickly. She relished the peas and onions, _anything_ other than plain meat roasted on a stick. Whether it was a symptom of pregnancy or because it had been so long since she had a proper meal, she didn't know but she blushed when she noticed Jon watching her with a smirk on his face.

Once she had her fill, her senses returned and she took in what was going on around her. Tormund was walking around the fire, his voice resounding as he was telling some tall tale. She had missed most of it but from what she could gather, it seemed he was claiming to have suckled from the bosom of a giantess. There was a mixture of laughter and good natured jeering from those gathered.

Dany's eyes went wide when he began talking about his rendezvous with various she-bears. When she looked to Jon for confirmation that she had heard right, he was already looking at her, barely containing his laughter at her reaction.

"Welcome to the real north", he teased, pulling her back against his chest and whispering in her ear, "there's a whole other world that opens up when you aren't the queen".

"To think of all the things I've been missing", she replied sarcastically, kissing his cheek.

Someone called out, "Tormund Giantsbane, husband of bears!", and the crowd roared again. Another person called out a request, "Tormund, tell us about the time you flew a dragon beyond the wall!"

Dany perked up hearing this, feeling both amusement and annoyance at the thought that he was taking credit for something she did.

"A story for another night!", he declined, with what Dany thought might have been a rare hint of bashfulness.

"I know that story, Tormund Giantsbane. I know it very well", she called out in a loud, clear voice. 

"So you do, Dragon Queen. Tell us your tale!"

Before she knew what she was doing, she left the comfort of Jon's arms and stood to address the crowd. Tormund yielded the floor to her with a wink and a nod. Everyone went silent and she saw she was met with some looks of suspicion, even fear, but mostly interest.

Feeling excitement build in her belly, she began weaving her tale, "Before the Battle for the Dawn, while I was on Dragonstone, I received a raven from Eastwatch that a group of brave men were _trapped_ in the middle of a frozen lake beyond the wall. Surrounded by the Army of the Dead, lead by the Night King himself, they would surely perish if I did not help them.

"My council advised that I ignore their plea, but two of those brave men were very important to me". She gave Jon a secret smile as she said it.

"And so I took to the sky with my dragons, to this land of snow I had never seen. I was terrified I would be too late and so I bid my dragons fly as fast as their wings could carry them until I came upon these men, overcome by wights, ready to fight until the bitter end. I watched them hit the ground as the flames of my dragons burnt hordes of wights to ash. It was then I asked my dragon to allow them to ride alongside me and I flew them to the safety of Eastwatch".

There were nods of approval and cheers until Tormund interjected, "except for Jon Snow!"

Dany raised her horn, "Jon Snow chose to take the long way back!" and this was met with rousing laughter. As Dany looked at Jon, she saw only admiration and pride on his face and it filled her with confidence.

She went to take her seat again when she heard a familiar voice call to her, "Dragon Queen, at Winterfell I heard a tale that you single-handedly defeated _all_ of the Khals of the Great Grass Sea". It was then Dany noticed Val's approving face in the crowd encouraging her on and she went back to the front of the fire.

When she spun this tale, she saw mystified and impressed faces looking back at her, and appraising shouts. As she finished her story, she was shocked when Jon shouted, "I don't believe it! No one can withstand fire!"

The crowd went silent, as Dany looked to Jon who nodded to her with a mischievous smile. "Then allow me to demonstrate", she said rolling up her sleeve. Moving slowly for emphasis, she reached her hand and forearm into the blazing flames and held it there. 

People around her gasped and some lept to their feet. There was a moment of stunned silence until Tormund's thundering laughter cut through and raising his horn he shouted, "To the Dragon Queen!"

"The newest woman of the Freefolk!", Tormund added as the astonished crowd cheered.

Dany felt giddy as she went back to sit with Jon. He pulled her into his lap fully and kissed her deeply, surprising her with his brazen display of affection. 

"I think you've had too much ale already", she told him playfully.

"I haven't", he said, kissing her again, "I just... I'm happy here with you".

This time her lips found his and he took them hungrily. When he released her, his hot breath tickled her ear as he whispered, "I need to take you home _now_ ".

\----------------------

They held hands as they made their way up the path toward home. Both were giggling off and on like fools at the spectacle she had just made at the bonfire.

"I don't think Tormund has ever been so impressed in his life. He'll be up all night trying to come up with more tales".

"At least the bears will be safe!", she joked before dissolving into laughter. Jon had to stop as he doubled over laughing himself.

Once he caught his breath, he took her hand again and led her along the path under the light of the moon. "You already had their respect after the long night", he told her, "but if you keep pulling tricks like that, I think they will love you".

Her spirits lifted at his words. She was feeling like her old self, maybe even better. There was no need to keep a regal mask anymore, she could let her guard down and she didn't have to worry about appearing weak. Her wings may have been clipped, but now she was free.

Giving him a cocky smile, she said: "I've been loved _most_ places I've lived".

Narrowing his eyes at her, he warned her, "You smile at me like that again, and I'll have to take you up against a tree".

Moving in front of him, she put her hands on his chest to stop him. "Are you threatening me? Did you learn nothing from my tales?"

Standing on her toes, she pressed against him and kissed him deeply. Her hands roamed his body while she teased his tongue with hers and he moaned into her mouth when she palmed his manhood over his trousers.

Breaking away abruptly she smiled as he groaned in irritation, eyes dark with lust. "Aren't you going to take me home, Jon Snow?", she asked coyly.

Growling, he took her hand and began walking up the path with gusto, dragging her with him. "Aye, I'll take you home, but you aren't going to do any sleeping".

His words thrilled her, as did teasing him. Normally he was sweeter to her than any man ever had been but she had found if she pushed him just enough, another side of him emerged.

"Actually, I'm quite tired", she lied faking a yawn.

"No, you're not tired yet", he promised.

As they drew close to the door, Dany darted inside the cottage and closed the door behind her with a giggle, securing the flimsy hook latch.

"Dany", Jon called impatiently, "let me in".

Slowly she opened the door the short distance the latch allowed and smiled up at him.

He glowered down at her, "you would leave your husband out in the cold?"

Feeling a slight twinge of guilt, she closed the door and undid the latch before opening it slowly. All she saw ahead of her was darkness, no husband to be found. She stepped out into the night with trepidation, knowing he was playing a trick on her. A high pitch scream escaped her lips as he jumped out at her from one side and scooped her up in his arms.

He nuzzled into her neck wildly while she laughed, as he carried her back inside and laid her gently on the bed. "Stay there", he demanded as he left her side to rebuild the fire in the hearth. She watched his movements closely, tracing his body with her eyes as she removed her boots and stockings.

"Are you always going to wear that leather armor?", she asked.

"Why? Don't like it?"

"No".

He chuckled at her words and got up as a fire was crackling again in their hearth. Carefully removing his leather jerkin and laying it over a chair, he climbed into bed beside her wearing only a tunic and breeches.

Wasting no time, he surrounded her with his arms and tasted her lips. She let herself get lost in the slide of his tongue as his calloused fingers explored her body over her clothes. Excitement filled her as she felt him pull up her skirts while he continued to distract her with his mouth.

She was lost in the sensation of his fingertips against her inner thighs, anticipation building, almost giddy to think of where they might go next. A sigh escaped her lips at the soft and slow drag of his fingers over her small clothes, and she felt his satisfied grin against her mouth.

She began to squirm, desperate for more friction as he continued his slow torture. When his hand slipped under her small clothes she had to break away from his mouth, overcome with sighs. She moaned in relief when he slipped his fingers into her core and she could feel his intense gaze on her face, studying her every reaction.

When his fingers, now slick with her essence, found her swollen clit, silently begging for his affection, she cried out and closed her thighs around his hand to keep him there. He knew her body well, the movements she liked best, the pressure that drove her wild and just when to pull back when she was getting close.

"Jon, I need you", she panted.

"No, love", he whispered, "I want to watch".

As his fingers invaded her core again, she bucked her hips to meet him. She clutched him as he played her clit again until the waves of her release hit her. Her body still humming in euphoria, he gave her no rest as he began tugging and undoing her clothes. "As your new husband, I forbid you to wear clothes to bed. Or in this house".

She laughed as she lifted her arms while he pulled her shift over her head, "your new wife demands the same".

Finding the hem of his shirt, she lifted it over his head and her eyes took in his ruined and muscular chest. Pushing him back firmly so he laid on his back, her fingers set to unlacing his trousers.

His manhood was full and flushed a dark pink and he threw his head back as she stroked him firmly. When she licked him slowly from base to tip, he groaned as he gripped the sheets. Unwilling to wait any longer, she took him inside her and began to slowly roll her hips. When he attempted to sit up in order to take control, she pushed him back down and continued. She allowed him to grip her hips as she drove him closer and closer to the edge. With the changes in her ever-growing body, she found this a more strenuous task than ever before, but she was encouraged by the helpless desperation in his eyes and his ragged breath.

His body began to tense and knowing he was close, she began to ride him vigorously. Suddenly, he pulled her off of him and had her on her back before she had time to think. He wasted no time, finding her sweet spot with his lips and tongue as she cried out and bucked. His focus was relentless and she had no choice but to give in to the merciless flicks of his tongue. Her fingers threaded through his dark curls to ensure he couldn't move away if he tried, not that he seemed interested in ever leaving the place between her thighs. He focused on her as if this would be the last time he'd be between a woman's legs. The wail that escaped her as he pushed her over the edge surprised even her.

\--------------------------

He moaned in satisfaction at the sound of her wails as she came against his tongue. Unable to get enough of the juices that flowed at his attentions, he lapped them up until she forced his head away. Crawling back up to see her face, his grin was wide to see her eyes closed in ecstasy as she caught her breath.

"Now you can tell everyone about the wolf that likes to eat your cunt", he told her, voice thick with lust, "Comes to your bed every night, hungrier than the night before and your cunt is the only thing he has a taste for".

She giggled quietly, eyes still closed. He could see she was exhausted, just as he warned her she'd be once he got his hands on her... and the pregnancy took its toll, he knew.

Seeing the fire needed attention, he kissed her forehead and went to add more logs to the fire. When be returned, he found her snoring softly and he knew he wouldn't find his own release tonight. He kissed her temple, tucked a pillow between her thighs, and pulled the furs over her sleeping form. Before he found his own rest with an arm wrapped around her middle, he thanked the old gods for what he hoped was his new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday!
> 
> I hope you like it. I just started watching Outlander so if anything in this chapter reminded you of Outlander, you were right on the money. Jamie Fraser is the embodiment of what I wanted from season 8 Jon Snow.
> 
> Comments are much appreciated and they really inspire me to write more and faster.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	6. A Southern Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon and Dany continue to build a new life. A southern visitor brings back old hurts and a northern queen receives some disturbing news.

Sitting up carefully, he looked around the darkened room that was their home. Everything around him seemed cold and distant and he knew he was in a dream. He suddenly realized he was shivering. There was frost on the windowpane and the fire had died out.

Finding the space beside him empty again, he felt a rush of anger course through him and he growled bitterly. The next moment, he was outside under a black and vicious sky and the thunder rolled in a long continuous roar.

He heard Dany's voice echoing all around him in a desperate scream, pleading for him to help her. It made his stomach twist and his head spin. When he yelled her name, his call was drowned out by the thunder. The louder he called, the louder the thunder roared until his throat ached.

He screamed in frustration and reached for his sword only to find his sheath empty. To his horror, he found only that wretched dagger in his belt and he threw it to the ground in disgust.

His knees began to buckle but before they could hit the ground, the sky was suddenly blue and the sun was shining bright. Before him, with the sun in her hair, was Dany. Her hair fell to her waist and she was smiling at him dreamily with a loving hand resting on her pregnant belly.

Then in a flash, the darkened sky was back and he thought he might lose his mind. He desperately wanted to wake up as the sky continued to change from light to dark, with Dany appearing and disappearing. He noticed she was getting closer with each flash, stepping over the discarded dagger as though it were nothing.

When she was close enough, she reached out and held his face in her palms and the flashing stopped.

"Is that smile for me?", she asked.

Jon could only look at her in confusion, he was quite certain he wasn't smiling. When she kissed his lips softly, he moaned aloud at the intense and surprising pleasure he felt from it.

He gasped. "What was that?"

She only smiled at him as she let her hands slide down his chest and thighs as she bent to her knees before him.

He was awoken by his own groan, his heart was racing and he was fisting the sheets under him. Looking down between his legs, he was dumbstruck to see her there with his cock held tightly between her pink lips. Curses and grunts spilled out of him and she giggled in response, the reverberations making him moan louder. 

He watched her intently, taking in everything he could, his nightmare was now forgotten. Her little hand was pumping him while she sucked and licked his tip feverishly. Her other hand cupped and gently handled his stones and he was completely at her mercy. The delicious sensations coupled with the incredible sight of _his_ cock between _her_ lips was too much.

He murmured incoherently, warning her he was close but in response, she only intensified her attentions until her name was a sob on his lips as he came in her hot little mouth.

He lay his head back panting as she crawled up his body and straddled his waist, looking down at him with a smug grin.

"Good morning, my love".

Breathless, his mouth hung open as he stared at her. "Seven hells".

He watched her face light up with laughter at his reaction. "I wanted to return the favor from last night".

Trying to catch his breath, he lay there in a daze. "Are you trying to kill me?"

He sucked in a breath as she dragged her fingertips up his torso to his shoulders. Leaning over him, she curled her lips in a half-smile. "I should tie you to this bed and never let you leave".

"Gods be good".

\------------

The past couple of weeks had been hard to wrap her head around. When she had left Essos to find Jon, she didn't know how she would stand being in his presence and now her heart was fuller than she ever thought it could be. She was even starting to trust him. It may never get back to the perfect trust she had before but maybe that was ok.

The Freefolk had brought more life and color into their life in this lonely region... and food. Livestock and herbs made for much better meals than she and Jon had been eating on their own.

As the weeks passed, Dany had truly been enjoying her growing friendship with Val. The two understood each other. They were confident, lethal and ruthless when necessary. Considered beautiful by most men, they had experienced both their devotion and scorn.

Both had also lost the women closest to them. When Dany had opened up about the painful loss of Missandei, Val had told her about losing her sister, Dalla.

Val was horrified to learn Dany didn't carry a weapon. "You southern ladies, walking around unarmed, at the mercy of any man".

"I do have a dragon".

Val raised an eyebrow at her. "And how far can a man get before your dragon can get to you?"

Dany scoffed. "How is a man going to get to me? Unless I'm with you or Ghost, Jon never lets me out of his sight".

Val pulled out her bone knife in a flash and held in front of Dany's throat. "One moment is all it takes".

She gave Dany a small dagger she could tuck away in her skirts, showing her where and how to stab a man who was trying to force himself on her.

Val had told her about a handsome redhead she was considering stealing and about the Freefolk's belief that redheads were lucky, kissed by fire.

"I thought you didn't trust fire?"

Val smiled. "Only fire I can't control".

Dany had shared with Val perfumes and lotions from Essos and she helped Dany take out the fabric of her dress to accommodate her growing belly.

Wanting to show Val her own talents, she had offered her a ride on Drogon.

"I'm not ready yet, mother of dragons but one day I'm going to take you up on that offer".

Dany spent much of her time with Val during the day. Practicing with her bow, learning about healing herbs and how to prepare meals while Jon worked with the other men in taking down the dilapidated buildings to prepare for new ones. Some Freefolk prepared the fields for planting and others built fences for livestock. Everything was coming together as the village was becoming a home.

The evenings she spent alone with Jon were the times she looked forward to most. Talking, fucking, bathing, laughing or sitting quietly before the fire. It didn't matter what they did, she always felt at peace.

\-------------

"Oh, Gods!", Dany cried. Unclenching her eyes, she took in the sight of his mess of raven curls between her legs as he feasted on her yet again. The early morning light was still pale when she was awoken by his roaming fingers over the sensitive parts of her body. He knew exactly how and where to touch her, enticing her to open her body to him. It had been clear over the past month that her cunt was the only place he wanted to be.

Sleep had been harder to come by as her belly had grown immensely since they had arrived at this peaceful place, but she found she never could resist the promise of his wicked tongue. Her body was completely foreign to her now. Her nipples were dark, she was swollen and huge but Jon never had his fill of her.

He seemed to want his head between her legs morning, noon and night, so much so some evenings she had to refuse him because she was sore. Fucking had been a challenge but a welcome one. She found herself craving to be filled by him more as her pregnancy went on.

Her moan was a song as the delicate flicks of his tongue drove her over the edge. While she was still recovering, he gently prompted her to roll to her side with his hard body molding into her from behind and she hummed as she felt him slide into her core.

Most mornings started similarly. The positions varied but the intense feelings, both physical and emotional were the same. He came with a "Fuck!", panted into her ear and she felt his warm release inside her. They laid that way for a time, basking in each other's touch, him nestled inside her.

She closed her eyes sleepily. "Does this mean it's morning?"

He trailed kisses against her neck and she felt him grin. "Barely".

"Always so eager, aren't you?"

He began nibbling her ear."How could I be otherwise with you in my bed?"

"What are you going to do after I have the baby and you can't have me for more than a _month?_ "

"Die".

She laughed brightly. "Again?"

She felt slight disappointment when he pulled out of her but with his help, she happily turned to face him. He brought his hand to the side of her face and brushed his thumb against her cheek. By far, this was the touch from him she loved best and she closed her eyes to take it in.

His face became serious. "I'm going to be too busy taking care of you and our little one to worry about that".

Her eyes stung with tears as she smiled at him. "You are going to make a wonderful father, Jon Snow".

He kissed her forehead. "I only hope I can be half as good as I know you will you... I've been meaning to ask you... how do you know it's a girl?"

"I don't. Not really. Everyone always wants a boy but if she's a girl, I want her to know she's always been wanted. Will you be disappointed? If it _is_ a girl, I mean?"

He almost laughed at the question. " _Disappointed_? I never thought I could be a father. I'd be incredibly proud to have my own _little girl"._

A warm tear rolled down her cheek and he brushed it away as quickly as it came before she kissed him. Her emotions were becoming more intense and she often found herself brought to tears.

"Have you thought of a name for our daughter?", he asked.

"I've thought of several... I thought of our mothers but I don't want her to be haunted by their tragedies... What do you think about Alysanne? Certainly, she had her tragedies as well but she was good and the people loved her".

"It's a beautiful name. _Little Alysanne_ ".

He furrowed his brow and she could see him steel himself. "If it's a boy-".

She interrupted him with a kiss, holding his head in her hands.

"Robb ". She watched his eyes sting with tears and his mouth open in surprise. "Of course, if it's a boy we'll name him Robb".

He pulled her into him with her head resting under his chin. "You know me quite well".

"Quite".

\----------------------

Tyrion

Being back inside the dark stone walls of Winterfell was unsettling. The last time he was here, he was the Hand of the Queen to Daenerys Targaryen. She was the best chance for the world to him then and his heart ached to remember her beautiful presence in these dreary halls. This was also the place where he shared his last drunken evening with his brother.

He was not looking forward to seeing the Queen in the North again. Once he had been fond of her, but after everything that happened, he had had time to reflect and it sickened him that Sansa had used him to help bring about the downfall of his former queen.

For all the evil she had done in her final act, he would never forget the good woman she was... nor would he forget the disrespect and loss she had experienced here when she came to help the North. The North had been her undoing and as her advisor, he had utterly failed to stop it.

In reality, he should have joined Bronn in advising an assassination attempt. It was the wisest course, albeit ruthless. However, for all the hatred he held for her, his love for her lived on as well. He always knew he could never have her but if the gods would grant her some happiness, he wanted it for her. 

Both her _and_ Jon. It was repulsing to his senses when he thought of how he had convinced him to do it. Seeing him there in his cell, entirely broken, filled him with guilt. Exiled to The Wall for what he had convinced him to do.

He had to halt his shame-filled musings as he stood before the door to the Queen's solar. He found her standing and looking out a window when he entered. Tall and regal, cold and beautiful, the small warmth she had left the last time he had been in Winterfell seemed to be gone.

He bowed his head and offered her the proper greeting afforded her station and it was then she turned to him and offered him a tight smile. "Lord Tyrion, what can I do for you?"

"Your brother sent me to share with you... some disturbing news..."

Her queenly mask hid all emotion. "Jon has abandoned his post at the Wall".

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Yes".

"Do you think anything happens in the North that I don't know about? I have my own little birds, my lord".

"I have a feeling, that I have news that you are quite unaware of, your grace. It may be better if you were seated for what I am about to tell you".

\--------------------

The last month had been the best time of Jon's life. He'd never felt cared about by anyone the way Dany cared about him and he'd never loved anyone more. This life was a dream he never knew he had, living with this love among a people they both felt accepted by.

Impossibly, she grew more beautiful every day as the size of her belly grew too. Her skin glowed and her body became increasingly soft and supple. Her hair shone and her eyes seemed to sparkle.

And, by the Gods, her _tits_. They were _huge_ and had turned a lovely shade of dark pink. Best of all, she seemed more reactive when he took a pretty nipple between her lips.

There was no place he'd rather be than between her legs, devouring her cunt, with her thighs muffling the sounds around him. Her colors, scent, and even her taste were new and different and he just couldn't be sated. It was maddening.

He imagined she must be more sensitive in her pregnancy as she pulled his hair harder with the drags and flicks of his tongue. Her wails were music to his ears, a song her never tired of hearing.

She was the loveliest creature he had ever seen, and he felt like he was walking around in a near-constant state of arousal. He could hardly resist opportunities to reach out and roam the curves of her body, reveling in her sighs, giggles, and blushes.

Watching her waddle around with that beautiful belly full of his baby filled him with pride. It was confirmation that she was his, and his seed had created life within her.

Everything she did was adorable and he felt even more fiercely protective of her. It was a struggle for her to even sit up in bed at times. He did his best to massage away her pain and help her stay comfortable at night. 

Ghost was ever faithful in watching over her, leaving her alone only when he needed to hunt. Both he and his great direwolf were becoming quite soft in their care for this woman but he knew their fangs could still be sharp if they needed to be.

Dany was not helping the situation either. One morning, when Jon had gotten up before her to make breakfast, she had allowed that great beast into their bed. 

Jon groaned when he caught her in the act of feeding him a sausage. "You're going to make him soft".

"From a single sausage?"

She set down her plate and held Ghost's face in her hands. "That won't make you soft, will it?"

In reality, it didn't bother him. He would be whatever she wanted him to be.

\------------------

Another cursed nightmare had plagued him that morning and he lay in bed thinking with dawn just breaking outside their windows. It had been a short dream as Dany's near-constant tossing and turning never allowed him to sleep long. One minute she was draping a leg and arm over him and the next she was pushing him away. He almost never had a pillow when he woke up and he would either find it tucked between her limbs or cast on the floor. Dany herself had become a source of heat and he had kicked one leg out of the covers for relief.

There was very little he could remember from the dream anymore, only that it had been in the halls of Winterfell and he heard his father, Ned Stark's voice echoing, " _Dark wings, dark words"._ It left him feeling unsettled and he was apprehensive about what the day might bring.

He saw her stir and sit up slowly, hair wild and eyes heavy with sleep. Only half awake, she set to rearranging her pillows under her and seemed confused when she was missing one. He retrieved her missing pillow from the floor and was rewarded with a sleepy smile. He helped her to rearrange herself, tucking a pillow under her extremely large belly.

She murmured her thanks and then grew quiet. Feeling his own drowsiness come over him he began to drift back to sleep when she sat up again. She looked around helplessly and then hung her head in her hands and groaned.

Coming alongside her, he pulled her into him as best he could with her baby bump.

"What's wrong, Dany love", he whispered.

"I can't sleep, I can't get comfortable. How am I supposed to do this for two more months?"

"Hush, love. I'm here with you".

"But you can sleep!", she bemoaned.

He chose not to answer. 

"I'm so _huge_ already! I don't remember it being this hard with Rhaego. The baby is kicking all of the time and moving so fast! First, she's pressed tight under my ribs and then down into my bladder. Sometimes both at once, how big is this baby?"

Finally, she began to cry against his shoulder and he felt helpless. This was one of the few times he missed being in a castle so he could send for a maester.

He felt her clutch his shoulder and lean her head into his chest. "Jon, I'm scared".

"There's nothing to fear, Dany. It will be ok".

"You don't understand... There are things I didn't tell you... about Rhaego".

"It doesn't matter. There are no witches here to curse us now. She told you you'd never be pregnant, and here we are".

Her voice began to break as she spoke. "She didn't say I'd never be pregnant... She said I'd never bear a _living child"_.

"Dany, you're exhausted. You just need rest".

Comforting her as best he could, he helped her to find a comfortable way to sleep, contorting pillows and blankets. The two managed to find sleep for near an hour when there was an urgent knock on the door.

He heard Tormund's voice call from outside. "Wake up, Snow".

"What is it?", Dany asked, her voice hoarse.

"I don't know. You stay here and I'll go talk to him". He kissed her head as he got up. Dressing quickly, he threw his cloak over his shoulders and made his way outside.

He didn't like the look on Tormund's face nor the lack of humor in his tone when he told him he had a _southern_ _visitor._ This was inevitable. They had expected to receive word from King's Landing but some days it was easy to pretend they'd never be found.

Telling Dany would be the hard part. When he went back inside, she was sitting up in bed with her arms around Ghost. He told her about the visitor and it pained him to see the color drain from her face.

"Ser Davos?!"

"I'm going to go talk to him. Tormund and Ghost will stay with you".

"Jon-"

"I trust Ser Davos. I'll go see what he has to say and come right back here". He took her hand and brought it to his lips, leaving quickly before she could argue.

\-------------------

Jon felt his senses come alive as he made his way to the canvas tent in the Freefolk encampment, almost as if he were going into battle. Davos had been his most trusted advisor in his former life but now his presence represented a probable threat... and a past he wanted to put behind him.

He walked into the tent near the tower of Queenscrown and found his old friend alone, seated at a small dark oak table. The tent was bare except for two braziers providing light and warmth. 

Davos stood when Jon entered, and the two merely looked at each other for a moment. All of the grief and devastation had put a rift between them and he didn't know if it could ever be repaired.

Davos broke the silence. "I hated that you were sent up here".

Jon merely nodded, and then looked at him expectantly. Davos continued, "I suppose you know why I'm here. And what we know".

Jon clenched his fists at his side. "And what are you planning to _do_ with what you know? _"_

He saw surprise color Ser Davos's features and he hated that it had come to this. "Nothing. Your brother wishes to pardon you and to allow you to live out the rest of your life in peace... your _wife_ as well".

Jon felt his temper flare at the word _wife._ "So my brother watches me closely. Is that why he sent you? To remind me that he can see my every move? _Her_ every move?"

Davos shrugged his shoulders and tossed Jon a black pouch. "Yes, and to give you this". The coin filled purse jingled as Jon caught it. 

"We'll be sending that to you regularly. For your service to the realm", Davos told him.

The weight of the bag was offensive to his hand and Jon dropped it on the table. "I don't need it. I don't want it".

Davos frowned at him, and Jon felt like a green boy who had disappointed his father. "Don't be so damn stubborn. You have a wife and a baby coming. A new father doesn't have time for pride."

Jon nodded, taking the purse begrudgingly. If nothing else, he could give it to Tormund to buy needed supplies for the developing village.

"How is she?", Davos asked.

Jon felt the tension build in his shoulders. "Are you asking me if she's going to storm Kings Landing?"

The instant the words left him, he could see he had offended his old friend and there was an edge to Ser Davos's voice. "I cared about her, you know. Same way I care about you".

Jon felt shame burn in his chest and he had to look away as the old smuggler went on. "If you remember, I wanted the two of you to marry. Rule together. But it didn't turn out that way".

Regret squeezed his heart. "No, it didn't".

"Are you happy?", Davos asked him with what felt like genuine concern.

Taken aback by the question, Jon wasn't sure he'd ever been asked that before, but he certain of the answer. "I am. We both are... How do you like being back in Kings Landing?"

The old smirk Jon knew well appeared back on Ser Davos's face. "Well, my accommodations have improved some since the first time I lived there. It's not as exciting as following you around, I can assure you... but at least my Marya is with me now".

Jon smirked at Ser Davos."Did she remember what you look like?"

Davos chuckled and then narrowed his eyes. "Before I forget, I brought something for your bride". He handed Jon an ornate golden bracelet with blue, jewel-encrusted butterflies.

"When I saw it, I thought of the lovely Missandei of Naath. I thought she might like to have it".

Jon had to swallow the lump in his throat before he could thank his friend for this gift. It would mean a great deal to Dany, he knew.

Ser Davos had more gifts to impart, a thick scroll from Sam and a chest of linens from Gilly. "She wanted me to tell you that _baby_ Jon is happy and healthy".

Jon chuckled and shook his head. "That poor child, living with my accursed name".

Ser Davos told him that his next stop would be Castle Black, where he would let them know Jon was relieved of his duties and fully pardoned. He was going to asses the situation and help them restore leadership. Jon did not envy him his task.

As he prepared to leave, he looked at Jon hesitantly. "Would you mind if I ever came to visit you again? Without official business".

Jon pulled him into a hug. "I'd be glad to see you again". 

Davos had almost passed through the entrance when he stopped suddenly and turned back to Jon. "Unofficially, if I was still your advisor, I would tell you that staying here isn't safe. Not everyone on the council had a mind to let you and Daenerys alone. Your brother was against using violence but... what of your sister?"

Jon's insides prickled immediately and the tension in his body that had just been soothed came back. He felt the beast inside of him stir. "I tried to do the right thing _all my life_ , Ser Davos. Did my duty no matter the cost, and look where it got me".

Jon's ire rose with every word he spoke and he felt his body flush with anger. "I'm done doing what is right for everyone else, and now my _only_ duty is to my _wife_ and our child.

"My _sister_ is another world away and my _cousin,_ whom I helped make Queen in the North, would be _stupid_ to try to harm her".

"Jon, I'm only trying to help-", Davos started to say.

"I've had enough, Davos! I gave them _everything!_ I _killed_ her!"

Ser Davos winced at his words. 

"If anyone is _fool_ enough to try to harm her, I will mount that dragon myself and _I_ will burn down _whatever_ castle or city is responsible! You tell them that when they whisper of assassins and cutthroats! Tell them, if I have to, I _will_ become the dragon I need to be. I will _protect_ her with everything I am!".

When he finished, he realized his heart was racing and he was breathing heavily. He regretted the look of shock on Ser Davos's face but he did _not_ regret a single word. He realized it was all true. Everything that happened had changed him to his core, and he would protect Dany with his life from anyone who dared to challenge them.

Davos left without another word as though he had just been a passing spirit from another life. Jon took a moment to bring his body to a more peaceful state before he returned to his overtired and worried wife.

\-------------------------

When he entered the cottage, he was happy to see Tormund and Dany sitting at the table, cheerfully bantering about their heroic deeds.

The smile fell from her face when she turned to him and they both looked at him expectantly. Jon relayed what Davos had told him, leaving out his warning about Sansa.

Tormund nodded his approval. "Good. The Freefolk are not hungry for war".

"I will not let my fight come to you", Jon said.

Fishing out the coin purse from Davos from his cloak while holding the chest from Gilly under one arm, he handed the money to Tormund. "For the village".

Tormund clapped him on the back and nodded to both of them before leaving.

Just he and Dany now, he put the chest down and joined her at the table. Dany's eyes were still wide with worry and he reached across the table to take her hand.

Pulling out the bracelet, he handed it to her. "He asked me to give you this. Said it reminded him of Missandei".

Dany fell to tears instantly, as he knew she would as she fingered the butterflies on the ornate bracelet. Grief was ever-present for both of them.

Sucking in a breath, she wiped her tears and met his eyes. "That can't be all. It can't be so easy". There was an edge to her voice that reminded him of the queen she once was.

He didn't want to worry her with Davos's warning. She had enough to deal with already being pregnant and adjusting to living up here... but he was terrible at lying, and she would know.

"That's the decision my brother has made... but Ser Davos did try to warn me that Sansa might not come to the same conclusion".

Dany's mouth tightened. " _Sansa_ ".

"She'd be a fool to try anything".

"She _is_ a fool. A bottom feeder thriving off of our losses, imagining her success is of her own making".

"I won't let her harm you, Daenerys".

Ignoring him, she got up without a word and stood before a window, gazing out at the open field with her arms folded.

Approaching her carefully, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and he flinched when she shrugged him off. 

She continued to stare out the window. "Things were going so well. I was actually happy. Here away from it all I can almost forget... but now the past has come creeping in".

"Dany-".

"When I hear her _name_... it all starts to come back. I don't want to think about it...I _try_ to push it away".

She didn't need to say it, he knew what she was thinking of. "Dany, you and I are not back _there_. We are _here..._ I looked my once good friend in the face and told him I would _burn_ _Winterfell_ to the ground _for you_ _._ Things are different than they were. _We_ are different than we were _"._

He knelt before her and looked up at her pleadingly, not wanting to go back to that place of hurt and mistrust.

He saw her face soften when she looked down at him and she nodded weakly. It was clear her mood was still clouded by thoughts of the past but they both tried to put it away.

He showed her the chest from Gilly and Jon was pleasantly surprised to find it full of baby clothes.

Dany held up a little white shift. "I wouldn't have expected this. Have you read the letter?"

"No". Jon didn't know what to think of Sam. Time had made him more resentful and he recognized that some who he had trusted had used him for their own gain. Neither his siblings nor Sam had seemed to care how much Dany had meant to him. The simple truth was that Sam had despised Dany and that had forever changed him in Jon's eyes.

He would open the letter but not today. There had been enough ghosts for one day and they had plans with the Freefolk today.

\------------------

Jon and Ghost walked Dany to the edge of the encampment, watching over her like mother hens, worried she might stumble. He did know he was being ridiculous and he wanted to be her husband and not her nursemaid but in truth, they did have to worry about her safety from the outside world... and she could barely walk straight on top of it.

She had continued to be cold to him that morning. Quieter than usual, she avoided looking at him and didn't take his arm as she usually did as they walked down the road. It stung and he tried to think of what more he could do to please her.

He brought her to where Val was waiting, happy she had taken Dany under her wing. He wasn't sure what all they did but she was teaching Dany more about using a bow, healing herbs and such... He felt safe leaving her with Val... and Ghost.

Drogon could be seen circling over the village. The Freefolk had gotten used to him quickly and barely seemed to notice his presence anymore.

Jon bid farewell to the fair-haired women and it did not escape his attention that Dany avoided his gaze. Sighing, he went to find Tormund and the others.

\-----------------------

Dany felt at war with herself as she repeatedly missed the mark with her arrow. She couldn't stop thinking about that arrogant redhead in Winterfell but more than that she couldn't stop thinking of Jon's betrayals. _I begged him._

All of the old hurts were coming back and even the scar under her heart itched. She didn't want to ruminate on it all, she didn't want to feel this way but the presence of Ser Davos brought it all back.

Val sat on a nearby tree trunk and watched her miss her target again, looking unimpressed. "You've gotten worse. I didn't think that was possible".

"Yes well, let's put some black curls on the target. I think I'll improve quite a bit".

Val smirked. "What did he do? Put it in your backside without asking? I've killed men for less".

Dany sighed and carefully sat by her friend. "He didn't do anything... _recently_ anyway. The past has just... come up".

"His southern visitor?"

"Sometimes I can't forget it, Val. The _feeling_ \- not the _steel_ in my heart but the realization that he, of all the people in the world, betrayed me".

"Have you told him?"

Dany hunched her shoulders. "I don't want to hurt him. He looks like he could cry whenever he sees my scar".

Shaking her head, Val put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know what to say, southern girl. If a man did that to me, he'd be food for scavengers. But Jon is a good man. He left his crow castle behind for you and you said yourself you've been happy... Perhaps it's just going to take time".

"You're right, of course. I'm tired of feeling useless. Could you help me up?"

Val helped her to her feet and Dany looked to the skies. "Are you ready to ride a dragon?"

Val released a breath and looked at the black beast circling above.

\-----------------------

There had been a change in plans of what they were going to be working on that day, and Jon had gone to tell Dany where he would be. As he approached, he realized they were talking about him. He should have left, he shouldn't have _spied_ on them but she was confirming what he expected.

He left in a huff without talking to her. Confusion, anger, and guilt flooded his chest. He'd left the Night's Watch, turned his back on what was left of his family and had been living like a fugitive. How else could he prove himself to her?

He scowled and kept to himself as he worked with the others on setting posts and putting up walls.

It didn't take long for Tormund to notice his dark mood and when they stopped for a short break he approached him. "Something wrong, little crow?"

He told his friend what he had overheard.

Tormund nodded thoughtfully and reflected back Jon's words matter of factly. "You're angry with her because she's still angry at you for killing her".

Jon felt heat on his cheeks. "She could talk to me".

"So you're angry that she didn't tell you that she's still angry at you for killing her".

Jon released a long sigh put his head in his hands. "How are we supposed to live our lives and raise a child... if she still thinks of me like that..."

Tormund clapped him on the back. "Give it time, Snow. She fucks you at night and didn't kill you when she came back. More than I'd do for you if you murdered me".

\-------------------

There was an air of melancholy around them as they made their way home that evening. It seemed that after this morning, neither really knew what to say.

Even Ghost seemed to be taking heavier steps, reflecting his master's low spirits.

She made a point to hold Jon's arm anyway and it warmed her that it seemed to relax him some. 

The whole scenario felt familiar to her. Just before she and Jon had arrived at Winterfell, they had been happy together. Happier than she had ever been until now. Once they arrived, the agendas of other people had torn them apart and she was determined not to let that happen it again.

Stopping abruptly on their path, she pulled on Jon's arm to stop him too and he looked down at her with apprehension.

"Jon". She spoke his name softly and reached out to take his hand. "I'm sorry about this morning. I know I was cold to you -"

"Dany, you don't have to apologize. I should apologize. I can't expect you to just pretend ... what I did..."

"You were right. We _are_ different now and we are _not_ back there. I don't want to hurt you. I want this beautiful, simple life".

She saw his eyes shining before he pulled her into an embrace and kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to spend the rest of my days keeping your life simple and beautiful".

"And I you".

\-----------------------

At home, Dany convinced Jon to fill the bath, weary as he was from the day. He used a yoke to carry in buckets from the well and it didn't take long before it was full. She worked on preparing supper and added the hot stones into the basin when he was done, watching the steam and bubbles rise with satisfaction.

They had both been getting better at making meals with the herbs, spices, and grain they now had access to with the Freefolk. She had managed to make a rabbit stew and was quite pleased with herself.

Once they had finished eating, Dany's thoughts had turned to other things as she got up from the table and made her way over to Jon. Soon, laces and belts were being undone until neither had a stitch on them and clothes were strewn about the room.

The oval wooden tub was simple but they had found they could sit in it together comfortably and neither could complain. 

Jon helped her step into the warm water to which she had added lavender and sage oils. Tension and aches began to leave her body as she slowly lowered herself down and leaned her back against the side. Looking at her belly, it continued to shock her how big it was as it took up much of the space around her.

Jon lowered himself into the water on the opposite end, using his arms to prop himself up along the rim, his muscular chest on display for her. He closed his eyes and seemed to be experiencing the same relief as her and he stretched his legs outside her own so that his feet were close enough for her to reach out and touch.

Unable to resist the temptation, she tickled his foot and snickered as the water splashed around him when he jerked his legs in toward his chest.

"Think that's funny do you?"

He quickly reached into the water to retaliate. Yelping, she tucked her feet away before he could reach her. She held her hands before her. "I yield!"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Alright. I'll take pity on you. _Once_ ". Relaxing again, they both stretched back out, her toes almost reaching his inner thighs.

Loving the feeling of being fresh and clean, she set to work lathering her skin and hair with soaps. Feeling his eyes upon her, she exaggerated her movements, taking care to wash her breasts far more than was necessary. 

Her own desire was building at the intimacy of sharing the steaming bath. Once she had rinsed the soap away, he became the focus of her attention.

Her intention had been to crawl over to him seductively, dragging her fingertips up his calves and thighs but with the great ball that was her belly, she kept losing her balance and ended up clutching him along the way to keep from falling over.

She caught him covering his mouth to hide a smile and she felt her cheeks warm. She glared at him playfully. "Are you laughing at me?"

When she was close enough, he reached out and helped her to sit in his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Are you trying to seduce me?", he asked.

She draped her arms over his shoulders and looked at him innocently. "I just want to talk".

Looking down at her belly, he placed a hand on either side and gently kissed the top."What shall we talk about?"

She hummed before responding."What do you miss most about being a king?"

"How can a man answer a question like that with you sitting on his cock?"

Grinding into him, a shiver ran through her as his cock teased her folds. Growling, his hands moved instantly to her hips.

She began kneading out the knots in his shoulders as he spoke. "I can't think of much I miss. I _regret_ that I didn't fuck you in Winterfell. I should have laid you out on that big bed and ate your cunt until your wails woke the entire castle".

She bit her lip at the thought, her fingers running over the ripples of his abdomen and she ground into him again. "I regret that you didn't fuck me in Dragonstone. On an open balcony over the sea".

"Gods, I was an idiot". He began rolling a thumb over one of her erect nipples. "What do you miss?"

She hummed to encourage his attentions and let her head loll to the side. "Not a lot but I did love my colorful dresses in Mereen. Silk sheets and wine too".

He studied her lips and traced them with a finger. "Well, you do have a dragon. We could fly there sometime. Get those things for you".

Running her fingers through his dark, damp curls, she lightly scratched his scalp, making him close his eyes. "Then I will have everything, won't I?"

He kept his eyes closed as she continued her ministrations, leaning into her touch wherever she moved her hands, under her spell.

He snapped his eyes open. "I have one condition. I get to _kill_ the sellsword".

She drew her tongue over his bottom lip before taking it between her teeth and biting him gently. She pulled back and looked into his dark, clouded eyes with a wicked smile. "Done".

He ran his fingertips along both sides of her jawline and down her neck, in a way that was both maddening and exquisite. "I've never so badly wanted to cross the narrow sea".

She smiled broadly at the tickle of the scruff of his beard as he kissed her neck, promising another night of desperate moans and tangled sheets, the hurts and fears of the day washed away.

All humor was gone from his features and she felt pinned by his predatory gaze. 

"Turn around", he commanded.

His order thrilling her, she turned around, sitting between his legs, his stiff cock pressing into her backside. Carefully, he guided her head back against his shoulder, granting himself access to nibble her ear.

He lathered a cloth in sweet-smelling soap and with it traveled around the slopes and curves of her body, while she clutched his muscular arms and her toes pressed into the edge of the tub.

By the time he let one calloused hand travel down to her breast to tease her nipple, she was already whimpering. Forsaking the cloth, the other hand glided over the slope of her belly, finding the sensitive and inviting flesh of her folds.

Thoughts scattered as he played her body like an instrument he was fully versed in. At his mercy, in a prison of her own choosing, all she could do was give into every touch and stroke that elicited shivers and moans.

Then both of his hands were roaming past her protruding belly, tracing patterns on her inner thighs, and over the petals of her cunt, avoiding the places he was wanted most. 

His hot breath was suddenly teasing her ear with a whisper. "I want you to beg for it".

She felt more heat pool at her core and she closed her eyes, enraptured by his attentions, and panted her response. "Beg? What happened to the wolf who was so hungry for me?"

At her words, he lightly brushed a finger over her neglected nub, making her groan and she felt needier than ever. 

"I'm only a dragon tonight. And dragons are more vicious than hungry".

Neither giving in, she surrendered to the sweet torment, until her hips began thrusting, seeking more friction. She was shaking, and her voice was desperate when she spoke. "Please, Jon...".

Softer than she could have imagined, his fingers moved to her pearl, overjoyed to be touched and she went on begging for more. "Oh, please...".

She continued to lean against him, wisps of her wet hair plastered to her face and neck, as he gave her the pressure she desired and his fingers filled her, giving her the friction she craved. When she came, her release broke her open and her cry was guttural.

Jon groaned in response and continued his attentions until the waves stopped rolling through her body. He held her close against his chest while she basked in her body's euphoria but he was soon kissing her neck again.

"Are you quite done in here?", he asked.

Nodding with a wide grin she let him help her to her feet and with care, helped her out of the tub. Barely able to get one leg over the side, she was grateful she didn't have to do this alone.

She regretted that he couldn't fuck her in the tub. There had been a night on their journey to Winterfell where he had her leaning over the edge of a bath while he fucked her ruthlessly. _After the baby is born._

Her heart melted as he helped her dry off and wrapped her in a white linen towel. Standing on her tiptoes, he met her halfway and took her mouth hungrily, reminding her that his arousal had not yet been satisfied. Taking his hand, she led him over to the bed and tried to climb on by herself, as gracefully as could be expected.

When they were both sitting on the edge of the bed, she rose to her knees and ran a towel through his hair, shaking out his curls. The moment she was done, he leaned into her, taking her mouth, crawling over her until she was leaning back on her elbows.

Her own need was raging through her again and she pushed him back and removed her towel. Turning around, she knelt on all fours, and looked back at him, eager to get on with it. "I'm not going to beg you, this time, Jon Snow".

Dropping the towel from his waist, he crawled behind her and she felt her body begin to tingle with anticipation. She felt his rough fingers roam the back of her thighs and over the curves of her backside.

She almost moaned as he pulled her legs apart, and she bucked when he ran his hands over her folds, too close to her overly sensitive nub. Her heartbeat picked up when she felt him position himself at her entrance. She sighed at the warm tingling sensation as he slowly filled her up.

She felt him grip her hips, and she delighted in the pleasing warmth as he moved in and out of her. An urge came over her like she had an itch that badly needed scratching and she backed into him to encourage him to fuck her harder.

Catching on quickly, he gave her what she wanted, their grunts and pants mingling together. Her arms were becoming weak, she managed to grab a pillow to lean her elbows into her.

He slowed down for a moment to ask if he was hurting her and she answered by backing into him again in frustration. "Don't stop!"

She felt the euphoric warmth building low in her belly and then the comforting feel of his body as he leaned over her and let go of her hips.

He sought out her clit but his movements over her nub were erratic as he kept up his punishing thrusts. Reaching back, she put her hand over his and used his fingers to add to her pleasure.

Her orgasm bloomed like a flower inside her core and then rocked over her like a riotous wave. She was barely able to hold herself up anymore as he followed her with curses and groans.

Her body buzzed with satisfaction and she felt his hot breath and damp hair on her back, both seeming unwilling to move. When they finally separated, they collapsed together on their sides, with Jon's strong arm around her middle.

It was clear neither of them was going to let anyone else come between them again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday morning!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed. I was going to make the Tyrion and Sansa scene longer but they bring me down so they had to have an "off screen" conversation. 
> 
> Your comments are very much appreciated and they do inspire me to write more.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


	7. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon and Dany prepare for parenthood.

Tyrion

The cask of wine on his desk was taunting him. It had been nearly 6 months since he'd had a drink, hoping to serve this king better than he had his queen.

Since leaving Winterfell after his tense meeting with the Northern Queen, his thoughts had been consumed by Daenerys Targaryen. If he were honest, his mind had been consumed with her since Bran had told them she lived by the grace of the Red Temple. If he were truly honest, her memory had shadowed his every step, haunting him all along.

It was late in the night... or early in the morning. Who could say? He couldn't sleep and had grown tired of staring at the ceiling, and that's when he called for a servant to bring him the wine.

It sat there on his desk now, mocking him like a lover who knew he'd return. _Eventually_. His head ached and his heart was like lead in his chest. Tears choked the back of his throat but wouldn't grant him the relief of falling.

He had decided he needed to commit his thoughts to paper and he prepared a piece of parchment. There were things he felt he needed to say to her, things that wouldn't stop running through his mind on the entire journey back to King's Landing.

When Jon had been a broken man in that cell, he had asked Tyrion if what he had done was right. He still didn't have an answer, at least not one he was willing to admit. The more time that passed with this new king, the more he realized things had stayed the same. A king who lives in the past isn't prone to progression, he was finding.

She had been his best hope for the world, his fierce queen, a goddess that he could look upon but never possess.

That moment she had named him Hand of the Queen, was the proudest he had ever felt. Likely, it always would be.

He thought of that night long ago, sitting with her by the fire when she had told him he was brave. A picture flashed in his mind of her long silver hair blowing in the wind as she watched her dragons in the sky. That feeling of _dark_ jealousy when he watched Jon Snow enter her cabin.

Overwhelmed by the memories of better and bitter times, he filled his glass and gulped it down before he began to write. He apologized for failing her, in more ways than he could count and confessed that he had always loved her. He warned her to be wary of Sansa and finally, he wished her a beautiful and peaceful life.

When the letter was done, the cask was empty. The tears still refused to fall and his heart was no lighter. He called for a servant and bid them to send the raven straight away to Castle Black and to bring him another cask of wine.

\---------------

They were walking home from another day in the village, not having seen each other for most of the day. This walk, with its slopes and uneven ground, was becoming increasingly difficult, and Dany knew she would not be able to continue going to the village much longer until after the baby was born. She did her best to look unaffected as there was to be a gathering in the village tonight to celebrate the progress they had made. If she let on how difficult this journey was becoming, she worried Jon would try to convince her they should stay in.

Jon had been quieter than usual, and she wasn't completely surprised when he stopped her on their path just before their house would come into view.

He ran his hand threw his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. "I have a surprise for you".

Her heart leaped at the thought. "What is it?"

"You'll see".

She took his arm again and they continued on towards home. As soon as she saw what he had done, her eyes welled with tears, and she quickened her steps to their cottage.

"We needed a better door with a _real_ lock so..."

She ran her hands over the sturdy red door and fell to tears, silently cursing her hormones. "You've given me _home_ ".

He smiled at her sheepishly. "I wanted to give you a lemon tree too, but even if I could get one I'm sure it wouldn't survive up here". He gestured toward a little tree, freshly planted and he shrugged. "I thought maybe an apple tree would do".

She took his hands and looked up at him in adoration. "I guess dragons do plant trees".

"These dragons do".

_\---------------------------_

It was dusk in the center of the quickly developing village. People gathered in clusters around a great bonfire and smaller fires scattered about. Horns and mugs of ale filled hands and here and there people played instruments and sang songs.

Dany was in his line of vision seated with Val and a group of women, including two who planned to help her in childbirth. He was happy to see her radiant smile.

He himself was standing with a group of men that included Tormund.

"Looks like you'll be a father quite soon, Jon", one of the men commented, nodding toward Dany.

Tormund interjected. "Aye and he's scared shitless!"

The men laughed and Jon laughed with them. He could not argue with Tormund's assessment.

"He should be scared! Childbirth is not for the faint of heart".

Jon took a swig from his horn.

"All that blood, and the way they scream near the end...".

Jon drank deeper.

"Don't worry, Snow", Tormund told him with mirth in his eyes. "The women aren't going to let you in the room".

Another rouse of laughter surrounded him.

His horn empty now, he began to make his way to refill it when Tormund stopped him and handed him a sealed scroll. "A crow ran this down here from Castle Black".

Jon felt the air leave his lungs when he saw the seal of the Hand of the King.

\---------------------

Dany was exhausted but grateful to be surrounded by friends. The women had been kind enough to bring her a chair recognizing her state of discomfort. They had been sharing advice about taking care of newborns and practices to heal her body after.

She noticed they weren't telling her about their own childbirth experiences and this worried her.

Finally, she asked, "Is the pain as terrible as they say?"

Val looked at her curiously. "Don't you remember from when you had your son?"

Dany looked down for a moment. "I passed out as labor started. I remember almost nothing".

A young woman answered. "The pain is bad, it's true but that won't matter when it's over".

\------------------

Jon was filling his great horn for a third time when Val took it out of his hand. "No more for you, Lord Snow. You will have to keep that head of yours clear until the baby comes. You'll have to handle your fear another way".

"Does she seem ok?"

"She's perfectly healthy. Now take her home and don't bring her back here until after the baby. We'll check on you... bring you something to eat too since you're both shit at cooking".

"Thank you, Val".

"Don't mention it. Come running for me when it's time. I'll stay close".

\-------------------

It was hard for Dany not to feel embarrassed as Jon had to help her pull off her boots. Her swollen feet, which she could no longer reach, ached as much as her back. She moved to the edge of the bed and began brushing her hair when Jon sat beside her.

Wordlessly, he presented her with an unopened scroll with the unmistakable symbol of the Hand of the King. _The former Hand of the Queen._

Her blood went cold to see it and she felt tension build in her shoulders. "Are you going to open it?"

"It's addressed to you".

She looked at him imploringly and he nodded in understanding.

She watched him walk over to the hearth and heard the snap of the seal. Studying his face for any sign of a reaction, she felt her ire rise at Tyrion's audacity.

He shook his head while reading it and avoiding her gaze, he handed the scroll to her. "It's a personal letter to you".

Looking at the rolled-up parchment in her hands, she knew nothing contained within would bring her comfort or joy. He had betrayed her and then had convinced the love of her life to murder her.

Maybe she could forgive him one day the way she had Jon... and maybe not.

Getting up, she calmly tossed the scroll into the fire and they both watched it burn.

When she looked back at Jon, she had noticed the color had drained from his face. She looked up at him and softly put her hands on his chest, encouraging him to look at her.

When he did she saw his eyes were glass. "I never felt right about it. It never felt right".

Cupping his cheeks, she held his gaze. "We are _here_ now. We are not back there".

His shoulders relaxed. "Aye. We are here now".

\-------------------

Jon was sitting up in bed again, awake before his wife as usual. It wasn't a nightmare or her tossing and turning that woke him up this time, it was the thought of that unopened scroll from Sam tucked away in the trunk.

It had been weeks now since he'd received it but every time he came close to opening it, he found something else to distract his mind. He didn't know now if he should read it or burn it like Daenerys had Tyrion's letter.

When he and Sam had become friends, there was no one he had been closer to except Arya. He loved Robb dearly but he found himself spilling truths to Sam he'd never dared admit to Robb.

Jon had been overjoyed to see him at Winterfell and then in a moment, Sam had torn his world apart with little care for how it would affect him. Worst of all he had slandered Dany and that he could not abide. 

Carefully getting out of bed, he smiled when Dany murmured, deep in a dream, as he kissed her cheek. He was happy to see she was getting rest and he looked forward to spending the day tending to her needs.

Finding his trousers from where he had left them the night before, he restarted the fire in the hearth and placed the chest from Gilly on the table. He hesitated before opening it but pushed himself forward. The tan scroll with the unbroken wax seal of House Tarly lay atop the clothes.

He took it out and set it aside, preferring to busy himself looking at the little socks, shifts, and bonnets. Feeling foolish for stalling, he picked up the scroll and broke the seal before giving it more thought, and unrolling the crisp parchment he read it with trepidation.

_Jon,_

_I know you will find this hard to believe but I am happy for you. No man should have to endure what you have suffered and if there is a way for you to have peace and family,_ _then I want that for_ _you._

_I wish I could be there to offer you advice on fatherhood. Especially since it's a subject I currently know more about than you. However, I have no doubt you will soon be surpassing me in that too._

_There's nothing like holding your child in your arms for the first time. It's beautiful and terrifying all at once. You're holding something so precious that it makes you feel unworthy,_ _while you realize at the same time you have to protect them from all the perils of the world._

_I wish you and Daenerys the best and I hope one day our children can meet._

_I've also included pages I copied from a book on childbirth. I know how much you enjoy reading._

_Your friend_ ,

_Sam_

Smiling at his friend's words he felt warmth blooming in his chest. Things could never go back to the way they were but perhaps they could find happiness in a new normal. There were so many loved ones his child would never meet. The idea of her meeting another person in his life who had been important to him made him hopeful.

He began looking over the dense notes on the following pages. His stomach turned as the descriptions of what would soon happen to his wife became graphic and he set the parchment down. "Seven bloody hells".

His attention drifted as he heard Dany sigh as she stretched out her limbs in bed. "Finally read that scroll, did you?"

"Yes. Came with some vivid descriptions of childbirth too".

"Why do you need to read about that when you're soon going to live it?"

As she rolled toward him, he was instantly distracted by a dark rose-colored nipple peeking out of the sheet covering her milk-white body, blossoming with his child.

She looked at him thoughtfully. "Was it a happy letter?"

"Aye".

"Good".

\-----------------------

It was a lovely evening with a cloudless sky, and a crescent moon glowing above a purple sunset. Jon was lying in the grass on his back, with his hands folded behind his head and his knees pointed toward the sky. Dany was sitting propped up against his legs with Ghost laying at her feet. Chirping crickets, playing their song, were yet another sign the day was drawing to a close.

She felt Jon smooth his fingers through her hair. "It's getting long".

Turning towards him, she decided to voice her thoughts. "What do you imagine our roles will be here?"

"I've been trying to figure that out myself".

"I was thinking we could breed and keep horses. We _are_ currently occupying the space for such a thing".

"Mother of horses".

Sitting up on her knees, she placed a hand on his stomach. " I was thinking I could also fly to Essos and bring back wine, perfumes, and silks. The women here have no idea what they are missing".

"You're going to corrupt the Freefolk with your _wicked Essosi ways"._

_"_ What about you?"

"I'm sure I'll end up training people swordplay".

"I thought you didn't like that?"

"I've never liked killing but I do like teaching people. It reminds me of growing up at Winterfell".

"That's all?"

"No, that's not all. It sounds like I'll be helping you with horses and escorting you to and from Essos".

"Will that be enough for you?"

" _This_ is enough for me".

She leaned over him and brushed her nose against his, taking in his scent of pine. Lightly brushing his lips with hers, she was about to deepen her kiss when she heard an unusual roar from Drogon in the distance.

She sat up alert and looked out across the field, and Jon mirrored her movements.

"What is it?"

"I don't know, but he wants us to go to him".

Jon helped her up, it wasn't a matter of comfort anymore, she didn't know if she could rise to her feet at all without assistance. The same went for holding his arm. It wasn't something she did just to feel close to him anymore but rather she needed to lean on his strength as she carried the great weight of her belly.

What was left of daylight was fading fast as they followed Drogon's call to where he rested at the base of a great boulder near the edge of the forest. The tall trees had a menacing feel as the darkness closed in around them.

Drogon greeted them with a mighty roar and Dany felt a different kind of energy coming off of him that she hadn't experienced before. A sort of nervous excitement.

Jon regarded him curiously. "What's the matter with him?"

"I don't know that anything is wrong. He seems happy..."

He allowed her to pet his snout and gave her a cheerful chirp before moving away from the base of the boulder to reveal what he'd been hiding.

There in the grass, shimmering in what was left of the fading light, lay a clutch of dragon eggs. An unexpected discovery, she stood stunned for a moment before kneeling before them.

A silver egg with flecks of gold sat up between another as green as an evergreen, with swirls of bronze and a crimson egg, speckled with gold.

In wonder, she carefully picked up the silver egg and found it warm to the touch. She turned it around in her hands and fingered the elaborate scales.

Jon crouched beside her. "Are those...?"

"Yes".

"How?"

"I'm not sure. Not much is known about how dragons mate or if they even need to... Perhaps with Rhaegal before. Perhaps not. But here they are".

"By the gods. More dragons".

Gingerly, she laid the silver egg back in its place and picked up the green. So much like Rhaegal, it both warmed her heart and weighed it down. She gave it a gentle kiss and handed it to Jon.

He gave her a weak smile and inspected the egg himself. "It's warm".

"Come. Let's get these home before it gets much darker".

"We're taking them?"

"Of course".

Jon gave a sidelong look at Drogon who seemed to be watching them intently. "Drogon is going to be ok with this?"

"Don't be silly", she told him handing him the red egg as well.

She carried the silver and they made their way home cautiously with their precious cargo. Her mind was racing. More dragons would mean more dragon _riders_. Jon could ride again and perhaps, their child.

Once they were home, Jon followed her in laying them carefully on the bed. "Now what will we do with them?".

Picking up the silver egg again, she gently placed it in the waist-high cradle they had recently acquired.

"Our family used to believe that if you put a dragon egg in a baby's cradle, it would help the dragon to bond with them. We can put the other two under _our_ bed. Perhaps you'll have a dragon of your own again".

"You think that will work?"

"I don't imagine it would hurt".

\--------------------------

Jon felt himself being pulled out of deep sleep and into consciousness. As he came to, he realized he was being shaken and he heard Dany's voice.

"Jon, wake up!"

He sat up with a start. His head was numb with exhaustion and he squinted at her through blurred vision. "What is it? Are you in la-"

"No! ...I need you to fuck me".

"What?"

She began planting quick, chaste kisses against his neck. "Fuck me. I can't stand it anymore, it's getting worse. I need you to fuck me until the baby comes".

He blinked in astonishment. _The baby is driving her mad._ "Does that even work?" Never before would he have been able to imagine a scenario where he _didn't_ want to fuck her. 

Growling in frustration, she scooted to the edge of the bed with great effort having to use all of her limbs to do it. He sighed watching her climb down, knowing he would have to help her get back up.

Mustering patience he called softly to her. "What are you doing, love?"

"I _cannot_ sleep. No matter what I do my back aches. It _hurts_ when I _breathe._ If you are just going to _lay about_ and not help me, then I'm going for a walk. Exercise can bring on labor".

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before responding while she slipped into her boots.

"Dany, sweetling. It's the middle of the night".

"I'll bring Ghost".

At the sound of his name, the great beast got up from his spot by the hearth and walked to Dany's side.

"Dany, please. Come back to bed. Tomorrow I'll... _fuck you_... and we'll walk. We'll do anything you want".

Looking between him and the door, she dropped her shoulders in defeat and kicked off her boots. He got out of bed to help her back up.

She began roughly lining up her pillows, looking near tears when he interrupted her. "Come here, Dany girl".

He sat up against the headboard, with his legs open and outstretched his arms to her. Dropping the pillows, she crawled over to him and he helped her sit between his legs with her back leaning into his chest and her head on his shoulder.

"Is this comfortable?"

"No... but it's better".

Pulling the furs over both of them, Jon held her in his arms, his hands resting on her belly. He kissed her temple and began humming, the only other comforting thing he could think to do.

"What's that?"

"Just a lullaby I remember one of the nursemaids singing when I was little". He had always envied the way Lady Stark had sang to and comforted her children.

"Will you sing it for me?"

He froze for a moment, a bit startled by the request. "I'm a shit singer".

"Will you do it anyway?"

Clearing his throat, he was surprised how self-conscious he felt about it but of course, he would do it for her.

_"_ _The Mother gives the gift of life,_

_and watches over every wife._

_Her gentle smile ends all strife,_

_and she loves her little children_ _"._

"Will you sing more for me?".

Indulging her, he sang more verses until he looked down to see she had fallen asleep. Whispering good night, he kissed her cheek, and eyes heavy he quickly fell back asleep.

\-------------------------

In the morning, Jon had offered to take Dany somewhere to get her mind off of how uncomfortable she was. She had started having mild contractions early that morning but she hadn't told him yet. They hadn't been strong enough to take her breath away nor frequent enough to give her cause for alarm. 

She knew if she told him that he would want to stay home and she wanted a change in scenery. There was a possibility that the contractions were false and she was hoping if she exerted herself, she could move things along. 

She didn't fear the pain as much as she used to. All she wanted to do was get it over and done and meet her baby.

They had packed up some food and made their way outside. The early morning air was brisk and they dressed in their cloaks. Stepping outside, Dany was met with the curious sight of Drogon sleeping practically outside the door. _She_ slowly sat up as Dany approached, towering over her and the cottage.

Patting her great snout, she knitted her eyebrows together. "Have you been worried for me, my sweet?"

She huffed and then lowered her great wing, inviting her up.

At that moment, she felt Ghost's wet nose against her palm and she was shocked to hear him whimper.

Jon gave Ghost an incredulous look. "What's the matter with these beasts?"

"This one wants me to come along and this one wants me to stay".

Jon knelt beside Ghost. "We'll be back soon, boy. Don't go far".

Dany gave Ghost a scratch behind his ear and, with Jon's help, climbed her scaly mount.

Flying always set her at ease and today the skies were bright and clear already. She could almost forget the little foot pressed sharply into her ribs or that she could barely get a full breath.

Jon was telling her where to go and she laughed in delight when a waterfall came into view. They landed near a pool being fed by rushing falls coming over a cliff. There were still some snow patches but mostly green grass and tall blooming trees.

"Another waterfall, Jon Snow? I'm not entirely sure your intentions for bringing me here are pure".

It pleased her greatly to see him blush. He was a capable fighter and military man, but his sweetness is what endeared him to her most.

"Last night _you_ certainly weren't interested in anything pure".

Choosing to avoid the topic of her behavior the night before, she walked toward the edge of the clear pool to admire the view.

The temperature was heating up and she found it quite pleasing. She turned back to him with a smile. "Gods, I'm almost hot!"

He snorted at her. "You're turning into a northern girl".

"You'd like that wouldn't you?"

"No. You'll always be my _southern q_ _ueen_ ".

It didn't take long before she needed to rest. Jon found a shady tree to sit under and they sat together as they had the night before, both resting their hands on Dany's belly.

She felt the change in his mood the same way she might have felt a sudden change in temperature. Whenever he started to sulk, he became heavier like his dark thoughts were pulling him to the earth.

\---------------------

This was one of those moments in life that one knew was special while it was happening. He knew he should be happy but it made him sad. This had been taken from him before and it could happen again.

Dany interrupted his thoughts."What is it?"

"Hmm?"

"Something is troubling you".

"It's nothing, Dany".

"You're worried about me".

He sighed. "Of course I am".

She repositioned herself so that her head rested in his lap. Turning her head up to look at him, her smile set his heart aflutter.

"If I could go back and tell that scared little girl I was when I was sold to the Dothraki, that I would one day be with a man as gentle as you, it would have brought me great comfort".

He leaned down and kissed her lips softly and found the new angle intoxicating. He felt her fingernails gently scratching at the scruff of his beard and his skin broke out in goosebumps. An urgency came over him and he broke the kiss. "I wish I could go back there... steal you away".

"Where would you have taken me?"

"Oldtown. Nothing happens there". Then he kissed her again, long and smooth, pressing his tongue inside her mouth.

She broke the kiss this time and looked at him thoughtfully. "Then I would never have had my dragons. What would I be then?"

"Everything you are now".

She rewarded him with a true smile. "What a charmer you've become. This is really uncomfortable. Help me back up?"

He didn't know how long they stayed under the tree, admiring the waterfall but he had no care to leave.

Dany began singing the song he had sung to her the night before and he found her voice quite soothing.

Stopping suddenly, she asked, "What's the next verse?"

"You trying to get me to sing again?"

"Yes".

He was about to give in when she gasped suddenly. Her body tensed and she was clenching her fists.

His throat went dry. "Dany?"

She didn't answer until her body finally relaxed and she exhaled. "It was just a contraction".

He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Should we get back?"

"No. It will likely be hours before anything happens".

He was perplexed that she seemed so unconcerned while he was ready to scoop her up and sprint back to Drogon. 

Dany patted her belly casually. "Sing to us some more".

He taught her more versus, unable to refuse her. She continued to have the contractions and continued to act unaffected by them. When they hit, her body would tense, she would take deep breaths and then it would pass and she would be back to acting like nothing happened.

Jon felt his heart begin to race and his nerves were awakening. "Those keep happening".

"It's alright, Jon. Let's go for a walk".

They walked around the area near the base of the waterfall. She stopped suddenly, and he saw her grimacing in pain. He cringed when she groaned and he was eager to get her home.

She righted herself slowly, a hand on her lower back. "That was a bad one".

"I think we should get home". He was growing impatient now.

"No. Not yet".

He bit the inside of his cheek and continued to shadow her.

Only a few minutes later, she stopped in her tracks again and cried out as she doubled over.

"We need to leave!", she groaned.

He took her arm urgently and they walked quickly to where Drogon was waiting faithfully. The black dread was shifting on her feet restlessly and snorted at them as they made their approach.

As he was beginning to help her climb up, she stopped and doubled over again, groaning. The moment it passed, she made her way up and held tight to her mount's spikes. "We have to hurry!"

"Don't worry. It's not far".

Drogon took to the sky and almost immediately, she was crying out again.

"It's getting worse! I need to get home!"

Terrified himself, he rubbed her back and tried to reassure her. "It's going to be ok. We're almost there".

Another one swiftly followed and she let go of Drogon's spikes to clutch her middle and Jon instantly reacted by taking them himself. Drogon roared,

either worried

for her mother or protesting the change in rider.

The great dragon began to descend to their cottage on her own while Jon had been trying to get her to fly to help.

"She won't fly to the village!"

"I need to go home!"

"We need Val and the other women!"

"I'm getting off this dragon, Jon Snow!"

Reluctantly, he helped her down and into the house with Ghost trailing close behind. She immediately crouched on the floor in front of the cold, dark hearth.

The situation felt helpless and he hated to leave her. "I have to get Val".

She was in the throes of another contraction. "Go!"

Before he could leave, she took hold of his wrist. "Wait!"

He knelt beside her as she continued and he saw the tears pooling in her eyes. "Jon, if anything happens to me... I need you to know that I love you. And... I've forgiven you".

"Stop, Dany. You're going to be ok". With that, he ran outside.

Drogon was still guarding their cottage diligently as Jon approached her. "Stay with her", he tried to command the dark nightmare.

Drogon growled low and gave Jon a threatening stare that made his eyes grow wide as he took a step back before he ran to the village for help.

\----------------------

When she had first arrived back at her dark, safe cottage, the pain had begun to lessen and she enjoyed the extra moments between contractions. Now, however, they were building up again and the pain was starting to take her breath away. The quiet of home which she had longed for now filled her with terror, knowing she was alone.

Waves of agony washed over her, and she was in the unrelenting clutches of pain. It made her feel primal, only able to access basic instincts as the cramps surged through her from within, feeling like they could rip her apart.

With the pain, the fear increased, one building upon the other, up and up until she thought she was becoming hysterical. Tears were making paths down her cheeks and she began crying out in despair. Ghost began to whimper at her side.

She sobbed in relief when Jon came through the door and rushed to her side, followed by Val and other women from the village.

Val crouched next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, southern girl. We'll get through this".

\-----------------------

Jon felt fear and guilt slither around his heart as he opened the door to find Dany's tear-stained face, red from the torment. He was at her side at once taking her hand, trying not to look terrified.

He felt an outpouring of gratitude towards Val and the others for being here to help her, as he felt altogether lost and useless. When she gave him tasks to start the fire, and gather water and linens, he felt even more grateful.

The women helped Dany undress down to her shift and she walked around the room with Val, an arm slung over her shoulder.

A dark-haired woman he knew as Jenny, approached him in a kindly way and suggested he get some fresh air. He knew he was being dismissed, and he wanted to stay as much as he wanted to go. _I'll just step out for a mo_ _ment._

He found Tormund waiting outside and he gave him a wry grin. "They don't like us being around too much for this, do they?"

Jon felt himself growing light-headed and leaned forward putting his hands on his knees. "Seven hells, how do they stand it?"

"When you become a father, you find out for certain women can tolerate far more pain than men".

A gut-wrenching cry came from the cottage, startling him, and he made to go back in. Tormund stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Got any wood to chop?"

\---------------

Sweat was dripping down his brow as he chopped log after log. Tormund was sitting nearby, clearly trying to distract him from the piercing cries that had seemed to be intensifying.

A particularly harrowing cry stopped his next swing mid-air, and he looked toward their home. "I'm going in there".

"It's best to stay out here, little crow".

Another cry stabbed at his heart and this time she was calling his name. Dropping his ax, he ran for the door.

Inside he found Dany with her back to him on top of furs spread on the floor, in front of the blazing hearth. Jenny was sitting behind her supporting her back and Val and another woman were on either side of her, holding her hands.

His nostrils filled with the smell of blood and suddenly seeing her there, he lost his nerve. His throat tightened and he began to feel nauseous. He hadn't let himself think about the perils of childbirth, but the thoughts consumed him now.

Val made eye contact with him and motioned him to come near. The other woman moved aside and he knelt beside Dany who was gritting her teeth and concentrating on the fire. His hand was shaking as he reached out to take hers and he felt comforted by the strength of her grip.

Jon felt a gentle touch on his arm and turned to see Jenny's kind brown eyes. He turned his attention quickly back to Dany who was clutching his hand now and crying out in pain. He felt his body flush and there was a pit in his stomach as his eyes stung with unshed tears. _There's so much blood._

\----------------------

The pain was unbearable and she needed it to stop. There was nothing else to think of except the pain and now there was barely a moment to catch her breath between the unyielding contractions. She had tried to stay calm, had tried to stay on top of the agony and now she was drowning in it. Moments after one stopped, she could _feel_ the next one coming again before it was ripping her world apart.

Hopelessness began to take hold. She wasn't going to be able to get through this. It needed to be over.

"I can't do this!"

She felt Jon hold her tighter and she heard Val's calm whisper. "Of course you can, Dany. Missandei is with you. Your mother is with you. _Jon_ is with you. _I_ am with you".

Dany let go a sob at her words and when the contractions came, she couldn't contain her cries anymore. Then, without warning, the pain was gone. The contractions still rippled through her body but they were just painless spasms now. Dany smiled in relief and laid her head back.

Val patted her calf from where she sat between Dany's legs. "You're not done yet. That baby is ready when you are".

Sitting back up, she reached back out for Jon's hand and he took hers readily. When the next contraction came, she pushed hard and screamed when she felt the excruciating pain. She looked down at Val in a shock and Val nodded solemnly.

"Yes, southern girl. This part hurts too".

Preparing for the pain, she pulled on Jon's hand while she pushed again, screaming as she did. She felt pressure pass through her and felt hopeful when Val told her she had the baby's head.

With another long push, she felt she was tearing herself open and she felt the warm pressure pass through her. There was relief and then a fresh cry.

"A girl", she heard Val say. 

Dany's heart filled with pride and everything around her disappeared. Air left her lungs when the red and wrinkly little babe was placed in her arms. Crying, with her tiny hands balled into fists.

The moment was short-lived as she suddenly sucked in a breath, feeling pressure building again and an urge to push. Val was at her side in an instant taking the baby. "Looks like we have more work to do".

\--------------------

Jon wanted to protest when Val strode toward him with his little baby, terrified he could hurt her. He gasped as he took her into his arms. She barely weighed a thing, small, helpless and precious. Her hair was dark like his own and she was crying loudly. _Strong little thing._

When she opened her eyes and looked at him, he thought his heart would stop. Her scrunched and red little face calmed, and her wailing ceased as they looked at each other, her curious dark eyes drinking him in. He knew she was so much more than a bastard like him deserved.

The love he felt was overpowering, and unlike anything he had ever experienced and tears streamed down his face.

When he was able to calm himself enough to speak, he greeted his daughter. "Hello, my Alyssane. I'm your papa".

Jon overheard Val talking to Dany.

"You've got another little one coming".

It was like the world was closing in on him and he started to feel woozy. Had he heard her right? "What?"

\---------------------

Dany's heart began to race and she felt a weight on her chest. "What!?"

Val looked up at her and nodded, "I thought this might be the case. You can push".

Pushing again, she felt the same pain and warm sensation as before. It went quickly and Dany felt herself in a daze. Before she knew what was going on she heard Val announce they had a boy.

In the next moment, she was staring down at a silver-haired baby. With tears on her cheeks and a wide smile, she turned to Jon who was holding their daughter. "Look, Jon, it's _little Robb_ ".

She heard him sob before he wrapped an arm around her and leaned his head against hers as they both cried.

"You did it, Dany. You never cease to amaze me. Thank you".

\----------------------

It was fully dark and their friends were gone now. It was just the _four_ of them laying in their bed. It would certainly be a snug fit in no time. They would need a bigger bed and ... a bigger home.

Little Alysanne was nursing sweetly surrounded by Dany's arms. She had wisps of her father's dark curls and her tiny little hand was curled at Dany's breast. 

She should be sore and exhausted for all she went through but she was wide awake and exhilarated. Adrenaline had been pumping through her body and now she was in a state of utter bliss. She was feeling as powerful as she had when she had won over the great army of the unsullied or freed the great slaver cities.

Jon was sitting next to them holding sleepy little Robb, smiling down on him looking completely enamored. Dany leaned over to look at him and her heart fluttered to see the babe's little fist wrapped around Jon's finger. Little Robb had Dany's silver hair and based on Jon's assessment, her nose.

Alysanne stopped nursing and seemed fast asleep. Turning to Jon she whispered. "Ready to trade?"

She handed Jon their sleeping daughter and she began to nurse little Robb. She heard Jon gasp and turned to see him looking at their little girl.

"She's the most beautiful girl that ever lived. She looks just like you".

Dany thought her heart would burst as she watched him get up from the bed and walk around the room swaying their daughter in his arms. He was singing a lullaby she had never heard as though it were just the two of them in the room. 

She saw him stop suddenly, and he approached her with a pained look on his face. "Dany... I have to... will you be ok alone for just a moment? It's been hours".

She snickered at his predicament. "Of course, we'll be fine".

The new parents fussed over laying Alysanne in the cradle properly while she slept soundly through it all. 

He kissed Dany's head before he left. "You're incredible".

Dany watched Jon pat Ghost on the head, signaling he was on guard duty, as he made his way to the door. She heard the lock click as he opened it, and quickly shut it behind him.

Dany was lightly running a finger through Robb's soft hair when Ghost suddenly stood at attention. Shewas confused by his behavior at first. Then, she felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck as he emitted a low growl and stalked to the door.

Dany gasped when he suddenly stood on his haunches and scratched at the door. It was then she noticed the Longclaw resting against the wall near the hearth. She could feel her heartbeat ringing in her ears, and she was suddenly scared for Jon.

Laying Robb down gently on the bed, she carefully planted her feet on the floor, unsure if her legs would support her after the trials of labor.

She took ginger steps, feeling the pull at her stitches as she did. Grimacing, she made her way to the door, trying to ignore the way her hand trembled as she reached for the knob.

Ghost was dancing about, hyper-focused on getting out, continuing to growl. As soon as she opened the door, he darted out into the darkness. Not seeing Jon, she felt frightened and quickly closed the door behind her, rushing to her babes. She grunted as she felt another pull at her stitches as she picked up Alysanne from her cradle and brought her into the bed with her and Robb.

The hearth was burning low now, as Jon had been too preoccupied to tend it, and the room was awash in darkness and shadow. It was eerily quiet and she found herself staring at the door as her chest began to heave and her stomach turned in knots. _Footsteps._

Her heart lept to her throat as she heard the doorknob turn. _I forgot to turn the lock!_ The door began to open slowly and she knew instantly it wasn't Jon.

She froze for a moment and then quickly laid Alysanne next to Robb, moving in front of them, as a dark cloaked figure stepped inside.

Finding the fortitude of the queen she used to be, she spoke in a commanding tone. "Who are you?"

The figure stepped inside and she felt her stomach drop as they calmly closed the door and turned the loçk. The click of the lock made her feel desperately alone.

"Do you think my husband is going to let a wooden door stop him?"

"It doesn't matter", came a woman's voice. "You'll be dead by the time he breaks it down".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooops, I made a cliffhanger!
> 
> The last chapter was super smutty, this one turned out to be super fluffy and you may have guessed the next one should be angsty...
> 
> On a side note, I rewatched the clip of the last ep, and I guess I must have been distracted as I was angry crying in my whiskey, but Jon tells Tyrion he didn't even feel right about killing her?? Seriously!! Ugh. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and for all your kind responses.


	8. The Assassin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dany and Jon confront an attack.

His head was heavy as he rolled it from side to side to relieve tension in his neck. Muscles suddenly feeling weak, he thought if he didn't get back right away, he would fall asleep where he stood. The highs and lows of the day, while incredible were overwhelming. It was torture just to watch Dany go through the terrible pain, being unable to help her. Feelings he never knew he was capable of were consuming him. He had become a father only a few short hours ago and he already felt like a changed man. 

Righting his trousers, he was about to turn away from the tall dark trees when he felt the cold, pinch of steal pressed against his throat and a gloved hand covering his mouth.

His throat went dry and his thoughts turned to Dany and their helpless newborns. It was then he noticed the weight of Longclaw missing from his hip.

He heard the man holding him chuckle. "The legendary Jon Snow. Bested by a commoner while taking a piss".

He had a northern accent and the sneer in his tone instantly reminded him of Karl Tanner or even Ramsay Bolton. The man was enjoying this. How had he so utterly let his guard down? He felt a rush of adrenaline and all he could think of was protecting his family.

"I didn't want to believe it. Thought it was a rumor, but here you are. Our King in the North, living on the run and taking up with the murderous _dragon whore_ ".

Incensed, Jon tried to break away but the man was ready, deepening the press of the steel, and breaking skin.

"Easy. I'm supposed to keep you alive. Your silver _bitch_ is the one who's supposed to die tonight".

He waited a breath, preparing to grab the degenerate’s knife hand, and then with luck, he planned to crush his _filthy throat_. Drogon's roar suddenly pierced the silence of the night, startling Jon's attacker and giving him an opportunity. 

Before he could act, there was a flurry of movement behind him and the man's hold was ripped away, the knife nicking his throat as it went.

The man screamed as Ghost pinned him to the ground until the ferocious direwolf tore out his throat. Jon could almost taste the blood in the air and it further stoked his ire.

He heard a woman's screams and then Dany's voice calling his name. A faraway cry in the dark, he rushed forward to get to her.

\------------------

"What do you want?"

"I'm here to kill you. _For good_. No one can be safe with a _murderous madwoman_ like you loose in the north".

A great thud could be heard from outside and then a thunderous roar.

Dany narrowed her eyes at the stranger. "You won't make it out alive".

"Perhaps not", she said, taking a step forward, brandishing the long blade of a dagger. "But that black nightmare can't hurt me while I'm in here. Not without hurting those sleeping demons of yours".

Dany straightened and tried to recall where her own dagger could be. Somewhere in the folds of her dress, discarded as labor began, but she did remember where Longclaw lay.

"I won't let you harm my children".

"I'm not here for the dragon whelps. Unless you decide to give me trouble".

Scrambling off the bed, she ignored the searing tear between her thighs as the warm blood pooled into the mesh of linen packed there. She grabbed Longclaw and managed to hold it up in front of her attacker.

The woman laughed and stepped closer.

"You're going to defend yourself in this tiny room, with a bastard sword you can barely lift?"

Dany could see her features now. A dark-haired girl with hair and clothes fashioned like Jon's youngest sister. The clothes seemed finer than she should be able to afford.

"You would murder the wife of Jon Snow and the good sister of Arya Stark?"

She laughed again. "If Arya Stark were here, it'd be her doing the deed".

Desperate, Dany flung the sword toward the young woman and darted to the hearth. She managed to reach into the smoldering embers for river rocks before the woman had grabbed hold of her hair and pulled hard. Dany's scalp burned as her head was tilted back, exposing her throat, the blade pressed to her skin.

Quickly, Dany pressed the fire hot rock to the assassin's hand, causing her to scream while her dagger fell to the floor. Wasting no time, Dany forced the other rock against the woman's cheek and her screams intensified as she held it there.

Dany cried out to Jon as the smell of burning skin filled the cottage. Recovering, the assassin pushed her hard on her back, knocking the wind out of her.

Gasping for air, she crawled backward away from the attacker as the woman found her dagger and loomed over her. The woman wore a sickly smile even as skin and melted flesh dripped from her ruined cheek. Just as Dany's back hit the wall behind her, they both startled at a loud bang as the door was kicked open, rattling the walls.

Jon rushed in, lifting the woman off the ground by her neck and twisting her hand until the dagger dropped to the floor once again. Dany quickly retrieved it and then slumped back against the wall, chest heaving. It was then she noticed the pain and growing wetness between her legs, the sweat sticking all over her body.

Jon had one arm held tightly around the woman's throat and Dany saw his eyes were wild and he was taking his own shallow breaths. Ghost stood at his side, mouth stained red.

He looked to Dany urgently, "The babes?!"

"They're alright! Still sleeping". She realized it as soon as she had said it, the babies had slept through it all. She saw Jon's shoulders relax slightly.

He dragged the woman with him while she kicked her legs and gasped for air, as he crossed the room to the bed, checking on their little ones. Then Jon looked at Dany intently. "Are you hurt?"

She slowly stood, still leaning against the wall, and looked down to see the dark red stain on her white shift. "I ripped my stitches", she said softly.

Jon growled at the sight and pulled the woman roughly outside with Ghost following. Dany heard what she assumed was the sound of the woman's body hitting the ground and Jon telling Ghost to hold her there.

He came back in quickly as she started to feel light-headed. There was fear in his voice as he said her name while everything around her began to feel and sound far away. She was vaguely aware of being lifted off the ground, feeling safe again in his arms.

She heard him murmur, "Stay awake, Dany".

\-----------------------

"Dany", he chanted like a prayer as her eyelids fluttered, and he held her in his arms.

He heard Drogon's threatening roar and then, much to his relief, he heard Tormund's welcome voice. "You in there, Snow? Tell your dragon to let us pass".

Shouldering through the door, Dany still in his arms he was greeted with the sight of a group of the villagers, wielding weapons, being blocked from coming closer by Drogon's looming form.

"It's ok, Drogon. They're here to help".

Drogon backing away, Val and a couple of other women rushed forward to meet him.

Val felt for Dany's pulse on her neck. "What happened here?"

\----------------------

Val had directed Tormund to get more water and Jon to lay her before the hearth. Dany came to with a choked cry as Val redid her stitches. "Jon!", she gasped.

"I'm here, Dany. We're all ok".

They helped her return to bed with the sleeping twins wrapped snuggly in the cradle within her reach.

"Will they always sleep so soundly?", Jon asked Val.

She snorted in response. "No. The long sleep after birth is a gift to the mother but that's where it ends".

Val gestured toward Dany, now asleep. "The others will stay with them. Let's go see to this would-be assassin".

\--------------------

Tormund was standing outside the cottage next to Ghost with the prisoner pinned under his massive paws. She had her head turned to the side, staring ahead at nothing.

Jon patted Ghost's head and asked him to go to Dany. When he let up, Jon grabbed the woman wordlessly and along with Val and Tormund, walked to where Drogon was restlessly seething.

Val hummed and spoke to the assassin. "She's angry with you. You hurt her mother".

The assassin scowled at her.

"She does love her mother", Tormund added.

Jon handed the woman to Tormund harshly before going to retrieve the body of her accomplice. The man was already stiff as he dragged his lifeless form back to the group. The rage which had subsided while he had been caring for his wife, was growing stronger every moment. He felt out of control, unsure himself what he was capable of.

Tossing the body to Drogon, who let her flame lick the fresh corpse before she bagan to devour it, Jon made his way to the assassin. She had her eyes closed and her head turned away, but Jon forced her to watch, holding her head forward.

When he spoke, he almost didn't recognize his own voice, so laced with malice. "Tonight, you are going to be eaten by a dragon. Whether or not you are alive when she starts to eat you, is up to you".

He felt her tremble under his hands as Drogon feasted and it gave him a satisfaction that he knew should scare him, but instead, it propelled him forward.

Tormund, who was holding her arms behind her back, spoke casually. "You should know, I can tell when people are lying".

Releasing her head, Jon stood in front of her with Drogon's imposing figure looming behind him, mouth open wide, displaying layers of terrifying sharp black teeth. "Who sent you to murder a mother nursing her newborn babes?"

The young woman had squeezed her eyes shut and was muttering under her breath. _Likely a prayer. She will need it._

Jon felt his anger outgrowing him and before he could think to contain himself, he was yelling. "Who sent you?!"

Her chest rose and fell faster but she kept her eyes shut and made no gesture to cooperate.

Tormund spoke calmly again. "I've seen that dragon eat. Many times. Sometimes, she likes to singe her prey. Just a bit, not enough to kill them but enough to have them writhing in agony before she starts to eat them".

At that, the assassin broke. "The Queen in the North! It was the Queen in the North! She bid us spare her brother and his children but kill the mad queen! I do only as my queen commands!"

Enraged, Jon began pacing back and forth. Deep sadness and a familiar sense of shame began to choke him, misting his eyes. Those feelings were quickly buried by rushes of anger that made him feel savage and unhinged. _My own sister!_

He heard Tormund speak to the woman again. "Do you have any more friends out here tonight? More that plan to come?"

"No", she replied weakly.

"Good".

Val came forward and slit her throat without a word, watching her slump to the ground. She added, "You're are a very descriptive man, Tormund".

Tormund nodded thoughtfully. "That's why they call me tall talker".

Another bolt of fury struck Jon's heart and he was back to pacing. "I can't believe I let that _fucker_ sneak up on me! I've become too soft!"

His friends seemed to watch him cautiously, their calm only enraging him further.

Tormund spoke evenly. "That's what you're supposed to do when the wars end. That's why we settled here. To grow soft and fat and happy".

"I dropped my guard and it nearly got my wife killed!"

"Your war may not be done yet, little crow".

Jon saw Val give Tormund a look that said she'd like to smack him upside the head for such a stupid comment.

"For tonight it is", she said with a bite in her tone. "Jon, take a walk, calm down and then go back to your family. We'll organize a watch for the night and come up with a better plan in the morning".

Her words flew against everything he was feeling and he turned to look back at Drogon, who bent her head low and returning his gaze, growled with determination. Never before had Jon seen the red in her scales so clearly. He felt his heart raging against his ribcage like it wanted to be released to seek revenge itself. He knew Drogon felt it too.

He nodded in agreement and made his way back to the cottage. However, he knew this attack would need to be addressed and that it could not wait. Drogon grumbled as she watched him go.

The pleasing warmth of the hearth welcomed him, along with the beautiful sight of Dany sitting up in bed nursing their son. She looked at him anxiously, eager to know what they had learned.

He approached the cradle with their sleeping daughter and ran his fingers over the warm eggs at the foot of it, one red and one silver. As he did, little Alyssanne began to fuss, her soft cries tugging at his heart.

Picking her up, he sat by Dany at the edge of the bed and rocked her. "I can't believe how tiny they are".

Alyssanne began gnawing her gummy mouth on her little fist as he continued to rock her. Unsatisfied, she began to fuss once more.

"She's hungry", Dany told him, and she gave him their sleeping son while she fed her.

Her eyes were wide when she looked at him. "What did you find out?"

He cleared his throat and looked at her sadly. "I'm sure you've guessed".

She sucked in a breath and he heard the bite she tried to mask in her tone. "Yes, but I hoped I was wrong. I'm so sorry, my love".

Shaking his head, he kissed her forehead. "My sister tries to have you killed and you're apologizing to me?"

He regretted his words instantly as she sobbed as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Wiping her eyes with her free hand, she took a deep breath. "If _I'm_ here... _If I stay_... How can we keep them safe?"

Jon froze for a moment, not having expected those words. "Hush, Dany. You're not going anywhere without us. I will protect you".

"Then we'll have to do something. She needs to learn to fear us".

Jon looked down at his son regretfully and kissed his head, his feathery wisps soft against his lips. Tonight should have been different.

"We do. And we can't wait. If Bran knows we are planning anything he can warn her with a raven in two days time".

"We don't know he would do that".

"We don't know that he won't".

He took her free hand in his. "I mean to fly to Winterfell tonight..."

Her mouth fell open and she looked at him incredulously. "You mean to _fly_? Tonight? You don't have a _dragon_ , Jon Snow".

"I think she would let me... I think she wanted me to..."

"Even if she _lets_ you... She could throw you midair... _To your death_ ".

"If she didn't kill me after... _What I did_... I don't imagine she'd kill me tonight".

Dany's eyes welled with tears again. "Not tonight".

"You know I have to", he said softly.

  
  


Her breath hitched and she carefully laid Alyssanne, who had fallen back asleep, on her lap.

He felt his resolve weaken as she held his face in her hands and looked in his eyes searchingly. "When you approach the keep, do it from high in the air. Don't let them see you until you're upon them. Look for the ballistas first and take them out".

He nodded solemnly as she continued.

"Above all, return to us. And, let this be the last _stupidly_ heroic thing you ever do".

"Aye. On both counts".

She held him tightly and kissed him desperately.

"I'll expect you back by morning. And then, we are going to lay in this bed and enjoy these little ones".

He felt his throat become thick with emotion. "I love you, Dany".

" _We love_ you, Jon. _We need_ you".

Getting up reluctantly, he hated leaving them. He secured Longclaw to his waist, put on his cloak and kissed Dany once more. It broke his heart to leave Alyssane and Robb, and he made a silent promise to swiftly return.

Ghost lay curled in front of the cradle, where both babes rested, dragon eggs just under their feet. A life he never would have dared to dream for was right before his eyes and he was more determined than ever to protect it.

Jon relayed his plans to Tormund, who had insisted on keeping a guard for the time being.

Drogon was right where he had left her, clearly on edge. She grumbled as he approached and folded out her wing, begrudgingly inviting him up. He knew she was battling her own instincts to take a rider other than Dany, but he could sense her thirst for blood.

She bristled as he mounted her, taking hold of her great spikes, she was warm beneath him. Fury was building within him again, transferring from dragon to rider.

He sent up a silent prayer to the old gods to keep the beast from bucking him off, and then they were flying through the dark skies to Winterfell.

\------------------

Tyrion rubbed his scuffed knee as he hurried through the halls to the King's solar. Deep in his cups most evenings now, he had only just fallen asleep when there was an urgent rapt on the door, and a servant telling him be was being summoned to an urgent council meeting. He'd fallen up a set of stairs in is haste.

He couldn't think of what it could be about but assumed his King had some distressing vision. Washing his face with his hands, he hoped the smell of wine wasn’t apparent, although he also knew it didn't matter since his King could see all things.

He was the last one to enter and be felt relief seeing other exhausted faces, except for Bronn who looked like he'd had a full nights sleep.

King Bran looked at Tyrion with what he assumed was his usual, vacant expression, but since Tyrion had taken up his wine habit again, he imagined Bran giving him an admonishing look.

"Lord Tyrion", he said flatly.

Clearing his throat, Tyrion met his gaze carefully. "Your grace".

"I'm afraid, I have distressing news to relate".

"Surely it can't be more distressing than three new dragon eggs", Tyrion said.

"Daenerys Targaryen has delivered two children tonight. Shortly after their birth, she was attacked by an assassin, sent by my sister, the Queen in the North".

There were gasps around the room and Tyrion felt his own heart twisting in fear.

"The assassin was unsuccessful".

Bronn hit his fist on the table and shook his head.

"Now Jon Snow has mounted Drogon and is flying for Winterfell. What he means to do, is unclear".

Brienne spoke up quickly. "We have to help Sansa!"

Davos simply looked at her. "A raven couldn't even make it in time. It was reckless of her to try such a thing at all".

Bronn interjected. "Northern fools. You don't attack a woman on the night she's given birth".

Tyrion was surprised by Bronn's sudden display of honor.

Then Bronn explained further. "They are too alert. You wait a week or two when they've had no sleep. Easiest work you could ever do".

The room simply gaped at him.

Brienne looked to King Bran. "Your grace, surely Jon Snow will not hurt his sister".

When Bran did not answer, Sam spoke softly. "Jon has always loved his family but now he has two little ones to protect and... Jon can be pretty impulsive".

Davos snorted. "That's an understatement".

Bran addressed them all. "We cannot influence the events that happen tonight. However, we must decide how to act immediately if the situation takes a turn for the worst".

\-------------------------------

It was hard to see even under the light of the full moon but he knew the way. He was certain he could find Winterfell blind. Doubt and shame kept creeping into his mind and heart as he made his approach. _What am I even doing? What would Ned Stark think? Or my mother?_

Each time he thought to turn back, a picture of Dany backed against the wall by that wretched woman with the dagger. Gods, the dagger. His own personal guilt mixed with his rage at Sansa for the betrayal and it spurred him forward.

He urged Drogon to fly higher in the sky as they got closer. When the towers of the great keep of his family came into view, the frenzy of anger, which was becoming all too familiar returned. He realized then that he hadn’t been back there since the days following The Long Night, and his sister’s first betrayal resurfaced in his mind's eye.

She had sworn before the heart tree that she wouldn’t betray his trust. What a fool she had made of him. The look on Dany's face that night on Dragon's Stone haunted him, and his heart thundered inside his chest.

He saw Dany standing, shaking in her bloodied shift and he felt the muscles of his core tighten. His neck was hot and he felt a surge of energy as he twisted in his seat and with his body, commanded Drogon to make a rapid descent. His stomach dropped as they dived and he could see guards walking the walls illuminated by the light of torches.

By the time the guards began to shout and a horn began to blow, they were soaring low to the ground in front of Winterfell's gates. At the sound of “Dracarys”, Drogon lit up the night, making a path of flame and scorching heat just outside of the castle walls.

Like the crack of a whip, they were ascending back up into the sky, avoiding the arrows of the men manning the walls whom they had caught unawares. From above, he watched the men run and heard more horns blow.

He was content to wait for her until he caught sight of two ballistas on parallel towers. Dany had told him to look for them straight away but he could scarce believe Sansa had been so devious. He had overestimated her loyalty yet again.

Screaming in fury, Jon urged Drogon back down at full speed, as he fought to keep his seat. Men who had been scrambling to work the contraptions we’re now fleeing as more shouts filled the air. Drogon crashed onto the first ballista, the sound hurting Jon’s ears as his powerful claws decimated the wood before taking to the skies again, washing the other in a stream of flame.

The sound of an arrow whizzing by his head had him ascending again and Drogon's steely scales deflected a torrent of them.

He was about to demand to see the Queen in the North when he saw her familiar red hair on the battlements. With towering rage, he descended to meet her, stopping above so that the gusts from Drogon's wings had her hair blowing behind her.

He could only glare at her as her archers took aim, and he heard her shout, “Stop! That’s my brother!”

Then calling up to him, she gave him a look he knew well. “Jon! It had to be done! You _know_ it!”

He was unable to believe her callousness. “I know you are _not_ my sister! Bride of Littlefinger! I gave everything to the North! You couldn’t let me have this! You couldn’t just let me live!”

“She was a _monster_ , Jon! You chose a _monster_ over your family”.

At that moment he wished he were different. He wished he were hateful and cold so he could burn her to ash where she stood. “I _became_ a monster for my family! And now I have another family. If you make me choose again, I will choose differently”.

Her mouth fell open and he took pleasure at the sight. “Jon please, you have to understand”.

“The only thing I have to do is return to my wife and newborns. There’s nothing left of your assassins. If you send another, there will be nothing left of Winterfell either. No matter how many ballistas you build”.

The fear and shock on her face plain, he knew he had accomplished what he had set out to. Setting his sights on home, he left the towers of Winterfell, a place he had loved more than any other, behind.

\----------------------------------

The babies were sleeping. She should have been sleeping as well but she couldn’t stop looking at the door, hoping to see him walkthrough. Every time she heard the footsteps of the men keeping guard outside, she sat up with a start.

The dark of night was fading and the morning light was heightening her fears. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t get through this without him. _Please, Jon. You said by morning_.

The heavy sound of a great beast touching down outside her cottage had her sitting up straight and still. A dragon's screech, a smaller crash to the ground, and the unmistakable sound of Jon groaning had tears pricking at her eyes.

He came through the door limping and rubbing his arm, and as she made to get up, he asked her not to. When he was at her side, her hands cradled his head and she brought his face to hers while she peppered him with kisses, letting her tears fall freely. “Are you hurt?”

He laughed at her enthusiasm. “A bit bruised maybe. Drogon unseated me just now. I think that’s her way of telling me I won’t be her rider again”.

She used clean linen for baby spit to wipe soot and dirt from his face. “What happened at Winterfell?”

“I scared her, I hope”. His eyes fell. “I shudder to think what Ned Stark would think of me”.

She kissed his brow and caressed his cheek. “I’m sure he would understand your need to protect your family”.

He smiled at her sadly. “What have I missed?”

Looking at the sleeping twins in their cradle she sighed dreamily. “Sleeping and eating mainly”.

“I don’t want to miss anything else”.

Undoing the straps of his cloak, she relieved him of its weight. “Then don’t”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> I had some stage fright with this one because action scenes are outside my comfort zone! Also, I made Jon way ooc but let's be honest, ooc Jon is better in this scenario. 
> 
> Thank your for your kind responses. The next chapter will see a return of fluff and smut! Two chapters in a row without smut is unacceptable and I am ashamed!
> 
> As this fic begins to wind to a close, I will soon be posting another multi chapter where Jon and Dany meet in season one. There will be adventure and romance and oh so much smut! Watch for it in the next couple of weeks. Working title: The Princess and the Bastard.


	9. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon and Dany adjust to parenthood. Another visitor comes to Queenscrown.

The first days were a blissful blur. For all the sitting she was doing, constantly nursing two hungry babes, it was a wonder she was so exhausted. The rocking chair by the hearth was where she spent most of the daylight hours. Jon was with her through it all, doing everything he could, and supporting her in what he couldn't help with.

Ghost had wagged his tail happily when Jon had presented the twins to him, and now he went wherever the babes went and had taken to sleeping beside their cradle.

She could hardly believe how attached she had become to them already, and she knew Jon felt it too. Never had she felt so close to him either.

There were certainly difficult times. She wanted to cry the day she looked down and saw the size of her chest when her milk came in. It was a relief when Val told her that it wouldn’t last long.

When Alysanne and Robb began to cry during the night, she would wake instantly, the sound grating on every nerve. It was immensely irritating to Dany when Jon could sleep through it, and on some occasions, she would hit him with a pillow until he woke up. He swore he truly didn't hear it, and while Dany did believe him, she resented it anyway.

She was almost relieved when they would wake for reasons other than hunger so that Jon could tend to them, not that she could sleep until they stopped crying anyway.

One night, she watched him rock around the room with both in his arms until they had fallen back to sleep, and then she was the one crying.

The first time they had given them a bath had been a nightmare. Already nervous, they had taken great effort to prepare only to have them both scream as soon as they touched the water.

Some days, she couldn't go to relieve herself without them wailing for her. Her own tears would fall then and Jon would try to assure her they would be ok. She was tired of crying.

At times when she thought she was reaching her limit, she was rewarded with soft coos, bright eyed gazes and sleepy smiles, and those moments sustained her.

The Freefolk had been incredibly helpful, bringing meals and helping them with endless piles of laundry. Val told her it was customary for her clan to come together to help new parents in the first weeks.

As time passed, things became easier and they could sleep for longer periods of time. Her emotions were finally becoming more stable, and she was beginning to feel something like her old self.

Taking them to meet Drogon for the first time filled her with pride. For such a long time, her dragons had been the only children she would ever have, and now she had children of her own flesh and blood. 

Drogon had been uncharacteristically calm and docile that day, seeming to understand how fragile and precious these new Targaryens were. Her family would no longer end with her.

\--------------------

Ever so carefully, Dany laid little Robb in the crib next to his sleeping sister. She turned to look at Jon who was stoking the fire and watching her with bated breath. She knew the bags under his eyes matched her own, and they both breathed a sigh of relief when Robb stayed asleep once she removed her hands.

She watched him get up, and rub his eyes before he began to undress, as a familiar but long dormant feeling came over her. It had been well over a month since the twins had turned their world upside down. It had been euphoric, demanding and most of all… exhausting. She felt closer to Jon than she ever had to anyone, and nothing melted her heart more than to see the loving father he had become.

Yet something was missing. Something she hadn’t even thought to miss until now and the need was growing ever stronger as she watched him take off his shirt, revealing muscles and scars she hadn’t thought to admire for some time. He didn’t seem to notice her leer as he crawled into bed beside her, and collapsed on his back in a bone-weary heap.

“Your son was difficult today”, he told her, closing his eyes.

Rolling on her side to face him, she trailed her fingers over the ridges and scars of his chest. “Don’t you mean _our_ son?”

He opened his eyes slowly and she couldn’t help but smile when he looked at her cautiously. It had been so long she felt almost shy, and she bit her bottom lip before carefully straddling his waist.

“Dany, you don’t have to...”

“You don’t want me to?”

“No, it’s not that… if you’re too tired… Only if you want to…”.

Sliding both hands down his body, she felt him tense up, and she threaded her fingers through his, pushing his hands into the bed. Her lips found his hungrily, and she had almost forgotten how much she loved the taste of him.

He was already breathing heavily when she tasted his neck, and she began to feel like the powerful woman she had been. A woman with wants and desires of her own. The sound of his sigh when she breathed heavily against his ear, had desire pooling at her core, and her attentions intensified.

He cursed when her lips and teeth bit and soothed his flesh while her hands continued to roam, eliciting shudders and whimpers.

She had worked herself nearly into a frenzy, and no longer able to wait, she took him in her mouth, soaking up his moans and nonsensical muttering.

“Dany, stop!”

They were both panting when she released him and he sat up to meet her, pulling off her shift. Her head was soon in his hands with his tongue pressing into her mouth. Her senses thrilled at him gaining the upper hand, loving it when the wolf in him stirred.

Soon he was turning her about and compelling her to lie on her back.

“What do you think you’re doing?”, she asked playfully.

“It’s your turn, love. And now I have something to prove”.

“Wait!”

He stopped and looked at her, caressing her cheek with his thumb while he waited for her to speak.

“I’m might look… different”, she said as she felt her face flush.

Smiling at her, he shook his head. “Your cunt was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen before you gave me two children. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about”.

She hummed as she gave in to the feeling of his lips on her neck until other fears entered her mind. “Stop!”

He looked up at her with concern. “What is it, love?”

“I’m just nervous”, she admitted. “That there will be pain…”

Giving her a tender look, he kissed her forehead. “I’ll go slow and I'll stop if it hurts. Is that ok?”

She was apprehensive but she did trust him and nodded her consent.

He took his time, and she closed her eyes so the only sense she could focus on was his lips exploring her body and the pleasant scratch of his beard. She bit her bottom lip when he whispered how much he loved her into her ear, and she felt herself slipping into a dreamy state of pleasure.

Her eyes snapped open when she felt him at her breast, and she was immediately pushing him away.

Sighing in regret, she sat up. “They’re too tender”.

“Hush, love. It’s alright”, he assured her and gently laid her back down.

His lips returned to her skin, and she tried not to feel self-conscious as he explored her stomach. The sensations he elicited with his fingers, drawing circles against her inner thighs, were both exquisite and maddening. When his tongue followed the path of his fingers, she could barely contain herself.

She stiffened as he stopped his teasing and focused his attention between her legs, admiring her there. She moaned when she felt his hot breath there. “You’re beautiful, Dany”.

Taking his time, he used his tongue to get her writhing with touches that were too soft for her sensitive flesh. He took hold of her thighs as she bucked, and she rested her calves over his shoulders. She moaned as he increased his pressure, and she grew more desperate as he gave fleeting gentle licks to the place she wanted his clever tongue most.

“Please , Jon!”

Groaning against her core, he breathed against her. “You know I can’t refuse you”.

His tongue obeying her wish, her hands reached out to fist anything they could. When he found the rhythm and pressure that had her pulling his hair hardest, he exploited it ruthlessly. She felt her essence soaking the sheet beneath her and fought to muffle her cries as she climaxed.

Panting and perfectly content, she was feeling alive. “Gods be good, the bards could sing songs about that tongue of yours”.

He gave her a smug grin before he wiped his mouth. “If they can sing of my tongue, they can surely sing of those plump pink lips. When they’re wrapped around my cock, the world all but fades away”.

She laughed softly. “What happens when you’re in my cunt?”

Leaning over her, he surrounded her with his arms and looked down on her. “Hmm. Who can say? When I’m inside you, my head is so far up in the clouds I can scarce remember my name”.

She kissed him softly and looking into his dark eyes, she whispered, “I’m ready”.

“Are you sure, love? We don’t have to”.

Kissing his cheek tenderly, she nodded. “I’m sure”.

She felt that old familiar excitement as he positioned himself at her core, and she sighed as he slowly slipped in. She felt him tremble too.

Affection bloomed in her chest when he asked if she was ok, and she thought of how different he was from other men she had known. When she nodded, he began moving in and out of her at a tantalizingly slow pace.

“Gods, I missed this!”, she exclaimed.

“Seven hells, Dany!”

They both whimpered at the torturously slow thrusts.

An exciting idea popped into her mind and she looked up at him with a sly smile before she flipped him under her.

“Gods be good”, he gaped up at her as she began to ride him with the roll of her hips.

Planting her hands on his chest, she moved faster and faster until he was gripping her thighs, sitting up to meet her. Unwilling to relinquish control, she pushed him back down and rode him feverishly again.

His rough hand slid between her thighs and teased her nub until her pace became erratic. Finding her release again, she pushed his hand away and rode him hard until he came with a string of curses, his body sticky from sweat.

Cleaning herself with a nearby cloth, she tossed into a growing pile of dirty linens near the end of the bed. Another chore to attend to in the morning. She collapsed onto him in a satisfied heap, and hugged him tightly. “I feel alive again”.

He stroked her back gently, “as do I”.

Settling in, she closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat.

She heard him clear his throat, “Dany, I love you, but you’re a hot little thing”.

Giving him an exaggerated pout, she rolled off of him, happy to be able to sleep.

\---------------------

They had been sleeping for several precious hours when she was awoken by queer sounds in the dark. Little movements under the bed and near the cradle. Movements she knew were not from her twins.

Jon sat up straight, “What is that?”

A small screech and then another. Then Alysanne and Robb began to cry, having been abruptly taken from their peaceful slumber.

“I think we may have hatchlings”, she whispered in awe.

It was full dark, but the cradle was within reach. Blindly she was able to pull the crying twins into bed, handing one to Jon and then the other, and they quieted once more in his arms.

“I’m going to go light a candle”.

Jon tried to insist that he could do it, but she didn’t know how the dragons would react if they bumped into them in the dark and she worried he could get burned.

Carefully, she stepped onto the cold wood floor with her bare feet. Hands out before her, she slowly made her way to where a candle would be on their table. Her heart was pounding with anticipation and fear of the unknown. What would these new dragons be like?

Just as she reached the table, she froze as she felt little feet scurry over hers and there was another screech in the dark. Startled, she swallowed a yelp, and laughing nervously, she whispered, “A little dragon just found me! Or a rat”. _Please don’t be a rat!_

Finding the candle, she made her way to the hearth and lit it with the embers still smoldering there. Making her way back toward the bed, she used one hand to shield the candle from being blown out. She heard Jon gasp as they both took in the sight of two little dragons at the edge of the cradle. The silver one perched on the cradle's edge, and the red still sitting in its broken shell.

Approaching them slowly, the red chirped as she stroked his small head, and the silver screeched, jumping down into the cradle by its sibling, begging for Dany’s attention too. Her heart was overwhelmed and she felt the familiar kiss of tears on her cheeks. She never thought she would experience a moment like this again, and with a family of her own to share it with.

With gentle calm, she picked them up one at a time and placed them on her shoulders, making her way back to a stunned Jon.

\--------------------

Jon didn’t know what to think of the scene unfolding before him. His wife was aglow with happiness as these new little beasts scampered about her shoulders. He was thankful the twins had fallen right back to sleep, an uncommon occurrence. He carefully laid them back in their cradle, taking care to remove all the bits of shell. Sitting back in bed, he watched her and the dragons carefully.

“It’s alright, Jon”, she said taking his hand.

He squeezed back in return, and slowly reached a hand out to the silver dragon. She huffed and then nuzzled his hand in return. The little red screeched impatiently until he offered him the same affection. “Hush”, Jon told him softly. “You’ll wake the _little_ humans”.

There came another screech, sounding more muffled. Jon’s eyes met Dany’s, hers filled with excitement.

Dany handed him the candle. “Go find your dragon, Jon Snow”.

Taking the candle reluctantly, he climbed down, and knelt on the cold ground, peering into the darkness beneath the bed. He was able to see what was unmistakably the green shell, broken into scattered pieces, but no dragon. He was about to get up, when a flash of movement in his peripheral startled him, causing him to hit his head on the bed frame. The little green dragon next to him jumped and screeched defiantly.

He looked like a tiny Rhaegal and it warmed his heart. “Hello, little friend”.

The dragon approached him again and Jon picked him up the way he had watched Dany do it. He perched on Jon’s forearm as they looked at one another.

_How are we going to feed them all?_

\--------------------

As the weeks became months, Alysanne and Robb grew more adorable, laughing and babbling now. Sometimes they seemed to carry on their own conversations, while he and Dany laughed along. When one twin would laugh, the other would start, and their mixed laughter brought tears to his eyes.

He didn’t deserve this life, he knew, but he did treasure every moment.

The little dragons were a whole new world of responsibility, and this was left mostly to him as he wasn't the one constantly breastfeeding. _Thank the Gods._

He hadn’t managed to get burned yet, and they kept them in wooden cages to keep them in to prevent them from making mischief at all hours. 

The babes squealed in delight watching the dragons play and it was a wonder to think his children would be future dragon riders.

\--------------------

It was a beautiful spring day, the sun high in the sky in the early afternoon. A gentle breeze was blowing through the tall grass as Jon and Dany walked through an open meadow near their home. Dany had little Robb wrapped close to her chest as they walked together. He was looking around, pointing at things he found interesting and talking to Dany in gibberish while she laughed and played along.

Alysanne was in his arms, her dark curls growing longer every day, looking up at him with her big grey eyes and gummy smile. Her lone tooth on her bottom gum made her all the more darling. She had his dark features but her mother’s looks, and he knew there was nothing he would ever be able to refuse that smile.

The three little dragons flew and jumped around them, not falling behind nor going too far ahead. His children were growing fast and so were the dragons. Little Alysanne and Robb were able to sit up now and eat bits of food. Time seemed to pass so slowly and yet so quickly.

Ghost, who was walking beside him, stopped suddenly, his ears perking up. Jon stopped too until he felt Alysanne’s tiny fingers on his lips, trying to get his attention. Smiling at his little daughter, he surprised her by taking her fingers in his mouth, making her squeal and laugh. When he released her fingers, she put them back and when he took them again, she giggled harder, and the more they repeated it, the harder she laughed.

Their fun came to an end when he saw Tormund and Val approaching, their serious faces telling Jon they did not have good news. He kissed Alysanne's cheek. “Just a moment, sweetling”.

Dany made her way over, a look of concern taking away her carefree smile.

Tormund spoke first. “You have a visitor, Snow”.

His heart dropped, knowing there weren’t any visitors that could mean anything good.

“Who is it?”, Dany asked.

“The one who calls herself queen in the North, I’m afraid”, Val told her.

Jon felt heat rise through his body as he gritted his teeth.

“Along with about fifty men. She’s waiting for you at the tower”.

His anger was scattering his thoughts. Why couldn’t she just heed his warning and leave him alone? She didn’t bring a big enough force to engage them in battle, but why was she here at all?

The tickle of Alysanne’s tiny fingertips at his mouth made his mind return to the present. His heart melted seeing her teardrop eyes, clearly sensing his mood. He kissed her forehead sweetly and told her he would be back soon before handing her to Tormund. She went to him without a fuss, finding his bright red beard endlessly entertaining.

“Will you two take the children? Dany and I will take Drogon to the tower. Her presence should remind Sansa not to try anything stupid”.

Dany handed off little Robb to Val who began to protest until Val began bouncing him on her hip.

“Will you take them to the western end of the village? Not too close but not too far away in case we need to get to them”.

“We’ll keep them safe”, Val assured. “Come along, Ghost”.

Dany stood at Jon’s side giving him an uneasy look.

He nodded at her reassuringly, and she closed her eyes to call on Drogon.

When they heard their mother’s loud call, the little dragons called back and the red and silver perched on Dany’s shoulders while the green one took to Jon. Following Dany’s lead, they climbed on Drogon and made for the tower.

\--------------------

As they neared the great tower, he could see Sansa standing at the front of her host of northern men, hands folded in front of her.

Drogon landed with an exaggerated thud before the northerners and raged at them with a great and menacing roar. Sansa did her best to look unaffected but the men behind her startled. Dany turned to him with a small satisfied smirk, and he couldn’t help but return it. His tiny and terrifying wife.

He took her hand in his and talked to her in a hushed voice. “I’m going to talk to her alone. This is my fight, and I'll handle it”.

Dany began to protest, but he interrupted her. “I'll be alright. Stay on Drogon until I return”.

She nodded but her eyes betrayed her worry. Handing his dragon off to her, he kissed her forehead and began to descend.

Approaching the sister he once had, he hated the way she stood there with an air of superiority. A mask of calm on her face, putting on a farce that this was some happy meeting and she was just an innocent lady and not the backstabbing villain she was.

He stood before her, hands at his side, refusing to bow before her.

She gave him a tight smile. “Shall we speak somewhere privately?”

Wordlessly, he gestured to the tower.

One of her guards stepped toward him. “Leave your weapon”.

Jon stared at the man, hand on Longclaw’s pommel.

“It’s alright”, Sansa interjected. “I know my brother won’t hurt me”.

The guard backed away and Jon followed Sansa into the dimly lit tower, and up its winding steps. They stopped on the main floor, empty except for a wooden table at the center of the room. Sansa walked to a nearby window and looked out.

“I can see why you like it here. It’s quite beautiful and remote. It must be very different from what your wife is used to”.

Her small reference to Dany had his anger prickling again, she had no right to speak of her.

When he didn’t reply, she turned to him. “Jon, it’s good to see you”.

He could have laughed if he wasn’t so incensed. “I’ve nothing to say to you, Sansa. I can’t imagine why you are here. Say whatever you have come to say and be gone”.

“That’s no way to talk to your queen”, she said evenly.

Unable to keep the edge from his tone, he replied, “You are _no_ queen of mine”.

She took a step toward him, her hands clasped in front of her. “May I see them?”

Jon couldn’t believe what he was hearing and he felt bile bubbling in his stomach.

“You sent cutthroats to kill their mother the night they were born”.

She ignored his accusation. “What did you name them?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. _She must be mad._ “Alysanne and… Robb”.

Tears filled her eyes and he had to remind himself that she had forever changed their relationship.

“Jon, I want things to be better between us. I’m even willing to forgive your attack on Winterfell”.

“You’re willing to forgive me? I can’t forgive _myself_ for letting you live. The only reason you stand here drawing breath is because you are Ned Stark’s daughter and because I’m trying to make the best decisions for _my_ family”.

“You’re still angry with me. I understand, but I’m here because I want what’s best for your family too. I know you don’t believe me right now, but I never wanted any harm to come to your children. They are my family too. I’ve been told your firstborn is a daughter, and that she very much looks like a Stark”.

“My children are none of your concern”.

“Aren’t they? They are my niece and nephew after all”.

“They are the children of the brother you sent into exile. The children of the woman you tried to murder”.

“I myself, do not ever plan to marry. Marriage is not something I will suffer again, but that means I will not have children. No heir for the throne of the North. My proposal is this: I will name your daughter, Alysanne, heir to Winterfell and princess in the North. When she reaches the age of ten, or later if that is your wish, she will join me at Winterfell, where I can foster her in preparation of becoming queen. My only condition is that you allow me to legitimize you as Jon _Stark_. Your children will also take the name, of course”.

Now she had tested the limits of his patience and he could no longer keep an even tone. “Are you _mad_? Do you really think I’d hand my daughter over to you? Do you think I want her to become like you? Do you think I want to see her burdened with something I never wanted myself?”

\--------------------

Outside the tower, Dany listened closely. She couldn’t make out any words but she could hear raised voices. 

No longer content just to wait, she bid Drogon walk her to the tower's door. Sansa’s men looked on apprehensively, but there wasn’t anything they could do as she climbed down her mount's wing and entered the tower, listening quietly at the foot of the stairs.

\--------------------

“Come now, Jon. You would deny your daughter the chance to be queen? Allow your family to live in squalor? Do you think this is really the kind of life your wife wants? Let me help you. Some castles remain empty after the Great War, I can give you Last Hearth or even Bear Island. Give your family what they deserve”.

She had struck a nerve and he knew she meant to. While they were happy, he hated that he wasn't providing more for his family. He sensed Littlefinger's presence and he would not play her games.

Outraged, he was yelling now. “You are trying to bribe me with a castle? You came here, thinking you could bring your poor _bastard_ brother to his knees? I don’t know how many other ways l can say it, but I am not a Stark. I’m a Targaryen. My ancestors were not given castles, they took them. If I want my daughter to be Queen in the North, I will take your castle for her! If I want any castle of my choosing for my family, I will take it!”

“Jon-“

Sansa stopped abruptly and was looking over his shoulder. He turned to see Dany making her way up the steps. A dragon perched on both shoulders and his own little dragon perched on her forearm. As she stood by his side, the little green dragon hopped from Dany’s arm to Jon.

Sansa seemed to be trying to look unmoved, but he had seen a flash in her eyes. She wasn't afraid of the tiny dragons, but she would know well the great threat four dragons would be.

“Daenerys”, she greeted her coldly, reminding Jon of their first meeting. “How are you taking to motherhood?”

Dany returned her frosty stare with her own. “You tried to have me murdered”.

“Yes, well. We are family now. And that’s why I’m here. I’ve realized my actions were rash and grievous. I want to move forward and I have a proposal”.

He had heard enough and was unwilling to stand for her to try and work her schemes on Dany. He stepped in front of her protectively. “You have overstayed your welcome, _your grace_. It’s not _safe_ for you here anymore. _Leave_ ”.

She narrowed her eyes at him before her queenly mask returned. “Very well”, she said simply. "You know where to reach me if you change your mind". Retaining her air of dignity, she made her way down the winding steps.

\--------------------

As the Queen in the North's footsteps faded, Dany went to the window to watch her and her guards leave. 

Turning back to Jon, she saw him pacing the room, brow furrowed, jaw clenched and a storm in his eyes. She loved to watch him when his Targaryen side took over and she couldn’t stop the smile that crept up her cheeks.

His fists were clenched at his side. “She had the nerve to offer to make Alysanne her heir! All we have to do is just hand her over! To the woman who tried to kill her mother! They are never going to leave us alone!”

She continued to admire him as he worked himself into mania, but she spoke to him calmly. “She knows we are a great threat with Drogon alone. She wants to neutralize us”.

Scowling, he continued. “We’re still just pawns to them! To be used and manipulated even up here! Even as we try to stay out of their affairs!”

Setting the baby dragons down, she continued to study him, waiting for the storm to pass.When he turned to her suddenly, she almost startled. 

“Our children are even pawns to them!”

He began stalking toward her, and she backed up instinctively until her body hit the stone wall. Suddenly feeling overly sensitive, she brushed a hand against her cheek.

Trying to keep the tremble from her voice she asked, “Did I hear you say you’re going to take a castle for me?”

At her words, he pinned her with his eyes, dark and clouded. She felt her heart begin to beat wildly, and she knew her now heaving chest had given her away. He knew the weakened state she was in, like a predator who has smelled blood. She had been caught, and he would exploit it.

He closed the space between them, his body gently leaning into hers. She watched him study her lips as he ran a thumb along her jawline, and she whimpered at his touch. She felt herself go still when he trapped her eyes with his again.

“Were you listening in on my conversation?”

She nodded slowly. “It was quite loud”.

He spoke to her in a low and gravelly tone. “Name the castle you desire, and I will take it”.

Hearing herself whimper again, she gasped when he abruptly fell to his knees and lifted her skirts. Handing her the hem, she clenched the fabric as she felt his fingers roughly pull down her small clothes. She closed her eyes in anticipation and listened to the sound of him loosening his belt, hands still holding her skirts like an anchor.

She sang his name as he lifted her by her seat, and she heard him suck in a breath as she took his cock in her hand, and positioned him at her center. He brought her down around him slowly as she moaned, and he pressed her back into the stone wall behind her.

“Tell me what castle you want… and it’s yours”, he panted as he thrust into her.

She was mewling now, her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, clinging to him as she felt her back press into the hard cold wall. “I want Dragonstone!”, she cried. “It should be ours and I want it!” 

After returning to Westeros, she had never thought to want anything more, feeling unworthy. Now that she had said it out loud, she wanted it desperately, the desire as sharp as Valyrian steel. She may not be queen anymore but Dragonstone was the seat of her ancestors. It should belong to her children and their children after them.

“Dragonstone?”, he asked through quick breaths. “You want me to fuck you on the painted table?”

“Yes!”, she cried, taking his lips. “And in the cave…”

“Aye, the cave. I’m going to fuck you until the torches burn out, and then I’ll chase you around in the dark”.

She felt a loss as he lifted her off of him as though she weighed nothing. He carried her in his arms, kissing her neck as he walked her to the table in the center of the room.

Before he put her down, he whispered in her ear, making her shiver. “I’m going to eat your cunt in every room of that castle. On the cliffs, and on the beaches until you grow bored and decide there’s another castle you want me to _devour_ you in”.

Her essence continued to pool at her core as he gently laid her on the table and handed her the hem of her skirts again. Feeling exposed and vulnerable, she thrilled as he kneeled between her thighs and lifted her legs over his shoulders. 

None of his usual teasings, his tongue sought her pearl with precision and she lost herself in the euphoria. If there was a heaven in the hereafter, it would be Jon’s tongue lapping at her relentlessly through all eternity. She found her fingers threading through his curls, murmuring nonsense in high Valyrian.

When she came, her moans echoed around her within the tower as Jon continued his attentions. When it became too much, she had to push him away, and he was instantly on his feet pulling her body further down the table.

The heels of her boots resting at his shoulders, he kissed her leg sweetly before taking her roughly again. The way he gripped her thighs almost hurt, and the intensity of his gaze had her feeling like she would melt away. She could tell he was getting close as his breathing became more ragged, and his gaze began to falter, but he still managed to pant, “I’m going to make you the Lady of Dragonstone”.

He slumped forward after he found his release. Jon’s dark curls and hot breath tickled her skin as he lay over her, his head on her stomach. Their bodies were cooling from their exertions, and though the table beneath her was becoming colder and harder, she didn’t want to get up.

She brought one of his hands to her lips and kissed him softly. “Did you mean what you said? About making me the Lady of Dragonstone?”

The steel returned to his eyes and she saw his jawline harden. “Aye. As you said, it should be ours. And if the rest of the world is going to refuse to let our family live in peace, we will need a stronghold”.

“That means we’ll have to leave Queenscrown”.

He sighed. “Aye, but I know a certain dragon who could bring us back to visit quick enough”.

“I don’t know. She still seems quite sick of you after your ride to Winterfell”.

“Well one of this lot is bound to take to me”, he replied gesturing to the three little dragons in the corner.

“Maybe we don’t need to take it at all… maybe they will give it to us”.

“Maybe if we ask nicely?”, he said with a chuckle, looking up at her.

She scratched the scruff of his beard. “Of course, it’s only polite. We ask kindly that they return to us our ancestral home, and… we indicate, very politely, that we don’t want to ask twice”.

Laughing darkly, he climbed onto the table and laid over her, propping himself up on his hands, looking down on her. “We indicate that if we have to ask a second time, it will be without _decorum_ ”.

“We’ll also need funds for such a venture, but I’m sure the King of the Seven Kingdoms will understand our need, and provide for us accordingly. _For our service to the realm_ ”.

“Our _continued_ service to the realm, you mean. And not just my brother, but the Queen in the North too. She owes us more than anyone.”

“What protection dragons can provide from foreign invaders…and armies of sellswords with the backing of the Ironbank”.

“I hate to imagine what could happen without our protection. And those dragons who provide such protection must be fed. I fear they may ravage the countryside otherwise”.

His lips and teeth sought her neck again and she felt her desire building, but they couldn’t stay any longer than they already had.

“We have to get back to the babes”.

“It won’t take long”, he assured her, kissing along her jaw. Taking her lips with his, his tongue sought hers.

She wanted to give in, to let him take her again, but her breasts were growing full and tender with milk for her twins. With great effort, she broke the kiss. “Use that energy to devise a plan to get me my castle”.

He groaned in defeat but climbed down, helping her to right herself before they left the tower. 

They gathered up the hatchlings and it filled Dany with pride to see them bonding with Jon. For so long she had been the last of her kind. Yet now, there were four of them. Other people to understand the incredible bond she knew with dragons.

“It’s becoming clear you’ll have your own dragon to fly in a few years”

“Aye, and when I do, everything you want, will be yours ”.

\--------------------------

Leaving the dimly lit tower, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the bright daylight. Jon stopped to talk to Tormund as Dany went on towards the edge of the village where Val waited with their little ones under the protection of Ghost.

“Your sister didn’t look too happy”, Tormund told him.

“Aye, I imagine she was expecting that conversation to go differently”.

“Good thing she doesn’t have much say against a full-grown grown dragon”.

“No, but that won’t keep her from trying to find another way…”

“You’ll come up with something, King Crow. You always do”, he said clapping him on the back.

\-----------------------

He found them gathered together, a flurry of movement and color. Drogon lay curled on the ground and Dany sat, back leaning against her while nursing Alysanne. Ghost was laying with his head resting on his paws while little Robb was babbling happily, fisting his fur and pulling on his good ear. The little silver and red dragons were hopping about, and Jon set the green down to join them.

When little Robb saw him, he squealed in delight, falling back on his butt, and reaching his chubby hands out to him. Heart bursting with affection, Jon picked him up and kissed the top of his silver head, and he began cooing and tugging at his hair. A son of his own blood in his arms. He still couldn’t believe it most days. He’d never known such happiness before nor so much love. Bouncing him around, little Robb laughed wildly, and soon Jon was laughing too.

Sitting down next to Dany, he put little Robb in his lap as he continued to chat away, pulling at Jon’s clothes and leather armor, trying to put anything he could into his mouth.

Looking around at his sprawling family, he turned to Dany who was stroking Alysanne‘s head as she nursed with a little hand pressed to Dany’s chest.

“Is Dragonstone big enough for all of us?”

She pecked his cheek and lovingly stroked Little Robb’s head. “It will do”.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Chapter 9. I hope you liked it. It's quite fluffy. 
> 
> I struggled writing this chapter for whatever reason. I hope there are not any egregious spelling errors!
> 
> Shameless plug: posting the first chapter of a new multi chapter today: The Princess and the Bastard. Jon and Dany meet in season one. It will contain lots of fluff, smut angst and adventure. Plus the treachery of game of thrones we know and love.
> 
> Thank you for reading and have a happy Labor Day weekend!


	10. Dragonstone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon and Dany secure their future.

Adrenaline was still pumping through her veins as she laid her sleeping daughter in her cradle next to her brother. The visit from Sansa earlier that day had certainly altered the course of her family's life.

She and Jon were in a state of undress, basking in satisfying silence after having worked as a team to get their little ones to sleep. Even the hatchlings were quiet in their little bird cages.

"It's amazing that they sleep so well now", she told him. It was an incredible change to be able to have more than three hours of rest at a time.

"Aye. Sleeping through the night feels like too much now".

Rolling into him, body and mind ready for action, she ran her hands along his jaw and through his hair, and the way he returned her advances, she knew his blood was pumping too. Brushing her nose against his she whispered, "It's time for us to make our demands".

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her further into him and took her lips hungrily.

She felt the heat building between them, and she knew if they kept going, they would end up falling asleep, naked and tangled in the sheets- and there was work to be done.

Pushing him away, he groaned when she pulled her lips from his. "First, we have work to do".

Attempting to weaken her resolve, his rough fingers slid up her inner thigh and slid deliciously over her small clothes. "After", he breathed into her neck. "Otherwise all I'm going to be thinking about is _your silver cunt_ ".

"Now", she panted, rubbing him through his trousers, making him moan. "Now and I will reward you _after"._

Tearing away from him, she got out of bed before his greedy hands could reach her again.

Gathering parchment and ink, she sat at their table under the candlelight. Begrudgingly, Jon sat across from her.

Tucking her hair behind her ears, she set her quill to work, ignoring the heat of Jon's stare. 

Muttering as she wrote, "King Bran... titles, titles, titles...".

Suddenly defiance rose inside of her like a flame and she crumpled the piece of paper and threw it on the floor. Looking Jon in the eyes she said, " _Fuck_ his titles".

Jon's eyes grew wide, at her rare use of profanity. "Where did you get such a _filthy_ mouth?"

"From spending too much time with you, obviously".

It had become clear Jon was thinking only with his cock, and she would be the one constructing the scroll.

She grinned when an idea popped into her head, and she continued to speak as she wrote. "Our _dearest brother...and most gracious King of the Seven Kingdoms..."_

She was vaguely aware of Jon shifting in his seat while she was becoming engrossed in her writing. "As I'm sure you are aware... we were attacked.." She scribbled out her words, " _viciously attacked"._

The sound of Jon's chair scraping against the floor brought her eyes to his face and behind his dark eyes, she could sense his thoughts racing with _other_ ideas.

She rolled her eyes but half smiled as he ducked under the table. "You're just a green boy after all, aren't you? Can't focus for the space of a letter".

Choosing to ignore the slide of his rough fingers against her calves, she continued to write. "...without provocation...".

His fingers were quite distracting suddenly as he drew patterns over the bundle of nerves protected only by her small clothes.

When he tore the fabric, she scolded him momentarily until his tongue began to make up for his transgression.

Shaking her head, she got back to the letter. "Without provocation by the Queen in the North..."

At that moment, she felt the not entirely gentle bite of his teeth against her inner thigh and she sucked in a breath.

Taking his hint, she backtracked, "by the _treacherous Queen..."._

His tongue found her pearl and lapped at it gently as she whimpered. "the _treacherous and foul... Queen in the North!"_

Foregoing the letter momentarily, she gave in to the thrill his tongue was sending through her body.

Then, turning her attention back to her duties, she continued, "By the grace of the Old Gods, ... her scheme was unsuccessful, ...and we are blessed with our healthy twins... and three strong dragon hatchlings".

All at once, she felt his fingers dancing behind both of her knees and she yelped, her writing hand making a long dark streak across the parchment. She kicked at him until he stopped and she growled in frustration.

"Apologies, My Lady", she heard him say from under the table with mock contrition.

"Now I've messed it up!", she complained, kicking him once more.

"You weren't making enough noise", he told her, kissing his way back between her legs.

"Is this really your contribution to the letter-writing process?"

"Are you complaining?"

She chose not to answer, not really wanting him to stop.

_He's no help anyway_ _._

"While the Gods have smiled on us... we fear we will no longer be able to keep our growing family.... safe in the North. Therefore, we _humbly_ request you relinquish to us Dragonstone, ...the home of our ancestors, and-".

His tongue demanded her attention and all she was able to do was close her eyes and focus on the patterns he was drawing with such precision.

"And-...all... its vassals!"

Shaking her head to regain her senses, she mustered all the will she had left to continue. "As your allies... we are able to offer you the protection four dragons can provide... Aand!... can keep them from _ravaging_ your countryside. In exchange for this extraordinary protection...we will _happily_ accept your gratuitous payment for our continued... service... to the... realm!"

Dropping the quill, she threw her head back and clapped a hand over her mouth as her nub quivered against his tongue and her core fluttered around his fingers.

She worked to catch her breath while he righted her shift, her torn small clothes clinging to her uselessly. He kissed his way down her legs to her bare feet before sitting back in his chair with a smug grin.

"I think the letter will suffice".

She narrowed her eyes at him, barely able to contain her grin before she got back to the letter, finishing quickly. When she was done, she handed it to him along with the quill.

"There. Now you can rewrite it since you're the reason it's a mess".

Looking disappointed, he responded flatly, "Fine".

Her eyes followed him as he got up, admiring the slopes of his body as he moved. He positioned a lone pillow in the middle of the bed and walked back toward her with an unreadable expression. Lifting her shift, he prompted her to hold up her arms to remove it.

She couldn't help but giggle when he scooped her up into his strong arms and walked her to the bed. Her body tingled when he guided her to lie on her stomach, the pillow under her hips.

"Stay there until I'm done", he told her sternly. "Then I'm claiming the reward you promised me".

Waiting on the bed, on display for him, she nibbled her bottom lip while watching him copy the letter. She tittered to see his furrowed brow and pouty lips.

"Don't make me come over there", he threatened his voice a low growl. 

"Concentrate on your handwriting, Jon Snow".

He went on grumbling until finally he put the quill down and put it in her hands.

"For your approval, sweetling", he told her, before climbing into bed and closing in on her from behind. She felt a slight pinch against her skin as he pulled off what remained of her small clothes.

The letter was difficult to focus on as he lay kisses on her cheeks and even more so when she felt him position himself at her entrance.

She moaned softly when she felt him enter her slowly and she put the letter aside.

"No", he grunted breathlessly, "Read it to me".

She smiled in delight at the enticing slide of his cock in and out of her dripping core. Doing her best, she read the letter out loud through her whimpers and he thrust into her harder when she read passages he was partial to.

"Read the part at the end", he asked her, huffing, his rhythm growing unsteady.

Captivated by his deep thrusts, she hummed at his request. "Jon... and Daenerys of House Targaryen...The _Lord and Lady of Dragonstone!"_

\-------------------------

They both lay awake as she traced the dark flesh of his scars, studying them.

"Seven wounds that tried to take you away from me", she whispered. "Seven scars to kiss often, reminding me to be grateful you are here".

Starting at the dark puckered line above his hip, she lay gentle kisses over the length of each scar.

As she moved upwards, she told him softly, "Maybe I'll give you a child for each scar".

She took her time with the curved scar near his heart, leaving a trail of kisses twice over before she kissed her way up his neck and to his lips.

There was a pull at her heart when she saw his eyes were glassy and his face somber.

"What is it, love?", she asked, caressing his face.

"I don't deserve you, Dany. I don't deserve any of this".

"Jon-"

"Listen to me, Dany", he interrupted and he went on, his voice thick with emotion. "You didn't need me. Not really. You could have gone anywhere and I might never have even known I had two children. But- even after- what I did- you found me, and you saved me".

She could feel tears rising in her eyes now, and he cupped her cheek the way she liked as he continued. "Greyworm may have let me live but I was dead. Wretched and miserable. I can never do for you, what you've done for me. Do you hear me?"

Nodding through her sniffles, she closed her eyes to focus on the feel of his thumb brushing her tears away.

"I love you, Daenerys Stormborn".

"And I you, Jon Snow... but you are very mistaken about one thing..."

Bringing her face closer to his, she held his eyes intently. "I need you. I've always needed you. I needed you so much I sought you out in that barren wasteland, unsure if you would even let me live".

"Dany-"

"I need you, _we_ need you. Never forget it".

With that, she went back to kissing his scars, starting near his heart and working her way lower. All the while, he sustained her with soft sighs and subtle shivers.

"You are mine, Jon Snow". The hot breath of her words caressed his skin as she continued. "You deserve this just as much as I do. We are _dragons_ and our children are dragons. Dragons belong together and now we will take what is _ours_ ".

Her lips continued to lavish him with affection, up and down his lower abdomen, but never low enough.

As she persisted her teasing, she whispered against his skin again. "I'll never forget the way you brought me here and took care of me".

Nibbling at his hip now, she smiled when his back arched. "You hid me away here and fed me. Protected me and loved me".

When she moved between his inner thighs, licking and biting there, he began to beg weakly.

"Dany, please...".

Blowing her warm breath over his stones, he whimpered softly. 

"You defended me against my enemies..."

He groaned softly when she teased his now straining cock with her breath. "You became the dragon I needed you to be. And you will get what a dragon deserves".

\-------------------------

_To our dearest brother and most gracious King of the Seven Kingdoms,_

_As I'm sure you are aware, we were viciously attacked without provocation on the night our daughter, Alysanne and our son, Robb were born. The attack was carried out by a pair of assassins sent by the treacherous and foul Queen in the North._

_By the grace of the Old Gods, her scheme was unsuccessful, and we are blessed with our healthy twins and three strong dragon hatchlings._

_While the Gods have smiled on us, we fear we will no longer be able to keep our growing family safe in the North. Therefore, we humbly request that you relinquish to us Dragonstone, the home of our ancestors, and all of its vassals._

_As your allies, we are able to offer you the protection four dragons can provide and can keep them from ravaging your countryside. In exchange for this extraordinary protection, we will happily accept your gratuitous payment for our continued service to the realm._

_We humbly beseech you to help us make this transition as smooth as possible for the benefit of your people who are weary from war._

_Your loving brother and good sister,_

_Jon and Daenerys of House Targaryen,_

_The Lord and Lady of Dragonstone_

As Tyrion finished reading the letter, the assembled council looked on stunned.

Bronn looked around incredulously, "You're telling me now I've got to come up with the funds for all of that? Might I suggest, Your Grace, we ask the Queen in the North to chip in? Seeing as she is the one who got us into this mess?"

Tyrion looked to King Bran. "The letter insists on a meeting in two days time outside the city. They request to see Ser Davos".

Bran looked on, expressionless as ever. "Ser Davos and Lord Tyrion will meet with them. We'll see what else they have to say".

\-------------------------

Their cottage was bustling as Jon and Dany rushed to dress in the finest clothes they had left as their twins crawled about in the midst of the screeching hatchlings.

This morning they would fly south to meet with Ser Davos to discuss their taking of Dragonstone. They had never left their twins for so long before and the thought weighed heavy on her heart.

She felt Jon's hand on the small of her back."You look beautiful. I've never seen that dress".

She looked down at her fine warm violet gown and smoothed out the fabric. "Yes well, it's a bit formal for Queenscrown. I brought it in case I ever needed a stately dress".

"Even though you weren't sure you would stay?"

"You should know I'm always prepared.

Are you nervous?"

"Aye".

"Me too. It's going to take time to prepare the castle before we arrive. I'd like to be there before the twins start to walk. Just imagine if their first steps are on Dragonstone".

"That will be difficult, but not impossible", he said, kneeling on the floor to play with Alysanne and Robb.

"We should hire some of the Unsullied from Essos. I'm sure some would be willing to come back into my service, and servants from Lys, with the blood of old Valyria".

She saw a fire flicker in Jon's eyes as he looked up at her. "Just as long as we don't hire any _sellswords_ from Meereen".

It was clear he was still quite tender about what she had told him about Daario, and she decided it was time to end the farce.

"Jon", Dany started cautiously. "I have to tell you something... about Daario...".

He stood slowly and walked back over to her. When his eyes found hers, the burning intensity of his gaze made her heart begin to race.

"Are you trying to tell me there's something more I don't know? Something more than 'fucking for weeks and laying about on silk sheets'?" There was an edge to his voice that warned her to tread carefully.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, never having heard him speak to her that way. "You must promise not to get angry".

His face turned from pink to a deep red in moments and his jaw was clenched tightly. "Tell me, Daenerys".

Fidgeting with her hands in front of her, her cheeks grew hot as she made her confession. "I lied to you... I did stay with Daario for a time, that's true. He wanted me just as much as he had before but... I just couldn't do it. Nothing happened between us".

He looked stunned for a moment before he walked away, wiping a hand over his face. Then he turned on his heel and came back to face her. "Then why did you tell me something like that? Just to punish me?"

She exhaled a shaky breath. "Yes. At the time... I thought you deserved it. I was so heartbroken and I wanted to hurt you... I'm sorry".

Sighing loudly, he shook his head but then pulled her into an embrace. "Daenerys Stormborn, you are going to drive me mad one day. Anything else you have to confess?"

"No", she told him, hugging him tighter. "You know everything now".

"No more secrets. We have a family to protect. _Nothing_ can divide us".

\-------------------------

King's Landing was hotter than he remembered now that winter had gone. The wind blew up dirt around them and in the distance, the towers of the Red Keep stood tall, rebuilt in the same fashion.

He had to admit it didn't smell quite as foul as it did the other two times he had been there but otherwise it looked much the same. His little green dragon, who he'd decided to name Meraxes, was perched on his shoulder. Dany had the twin's dragons, Silverwing and Sunfyre on both of her shoulders.

They had decided to bring them, worried their friends in Queenscrown wouldn't be able to handle them... and for an intimidation factor as well.

He noticed Dany was quiet and saw her eyes were wide as she looked at the city.

"It's really hard to be back here", he heard her say softly.

Feeling an urge to protect her from pain, he took her hand. "After today, we don't have to come back here again".

He felt her small hand give him a gentle squeeze and then he noticed the horses and men approaching.

"They're here", Jon whispered.

Dany stood at Jon's side with her head held high. When she saw Ser Davos riding toward them on horseback, she fidgeted with the butterfly bracelet around her wrist.

He felt her tense when the sight of a litter being pulled by a pair of horses came into view, and he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

A handful of gold cloaks rode with them, keeping a respectable distance as Drogon postured in their direction with a low growl.

Dany's hands clenched at her sides when she saw Tyrion climb out of the litter. The two lords approached them together.

Dany refused to even look at her former Hand. After they had exchanged pleasantries, Davos gestured to Dany's bracelet.

"I see you took a liking to it".

Dany's smile reached her eyes. "Yes, Ser Davos. Thank you. It was a most heartwarming gift. You must thank Gilly for me as well".

Hoping the pleasant tone of the conversation would last, Jon asked, "How are Sam and Gilly?"

Ser Davos smiled, "Quite well. Busy with their young family, as I'm sure you are".

"Ser Davos", Dany spoke up. "We requested a _private_ audience with you".

Ser Davos looked at Tyrion and shrugged, "Yes, unfortunately as the Hand of the King, he outranks me".

Tyrion looked somewhat taken aback. "Your scroll did not forbid my attending".

Dany looked at Tyrion and he shrunk under her gaze as he used to. "A _private_ audience is a _private_ audience. I did not think I needed to _expressly_ state 'do not send Tyrion'".

"My Lady, I only hope to help move things along as smoothly as possible".

Sunfyre and Silverwing both screeched at Tyrion from atop Dany's shoulders, and little Meraxes followed their example.

Tyrion took a step back furrowing his brow.

Dany gritted her teeth. "My _Lady-"_

Knowing he had to stop things from escalating, Jon put a hand on her shoulder. "Excuse us for a moment", he told the King's council before leading Dany back to Drogon.

\-------------------------

Tyrion watched Jon and Dany walk arm and arm back to their murderous black dragon. He could scarcely believe he was really looking upon her. Death had left no trace, nor pregnancy for that matter. Her shorter hair suited her and the color of her dress made her look so... soft.

The fire was still there. That was plain. She hadn't liked him calling her _My_ _Lady_ but what was he to do? He served a King now.

Jon's figure in his black fur cloak was nearly blocking Dany from his view but he could tell Jon was comforting her, brushing her arm and probably telling her everything was alright.

It wasn't the first time he'd envied Jon Snow. He'd been the one to actually plunge the dagger into her heart and she had taken him back into her bed and yet here she couldn't even stand to look at him.

They walked back over, still looking like a couple from a fable, regal and beautiful.

Jon spoke with confidence. "My Lords, we're here to discuss our terms".

"I will say your proposals are... quite lofty", Tyrion said.

He felt Dany's glare upon him, and for a moment he felt like he did on that beach at Dragonstone.

Ser Davos looked at them thoughtfully. "And what if we don't agree to your terms?"

Dany smiled almost sweetly, "Why discuss such unpleasant things? It's not good to dwell on the negative. Return to us our ancestral home and we shall become the strongest allies the Seven Kingdoms have ever known".

"I'm sure you can understand our King is worried you will start a war", Ser Davos said.

"Of course", Dany replied. "Jon and I no longer wish to rule _any_ kingdoms. We only wish to live in peace".

"Then why not kneel?", Ser Davos asked.

Jon answered this time. "We're done with kneelin too".

Dany nodded in agreement with Jon and went on to argue her point. "We understand your King's concerns, but in reality, wherever we are, we can take your city in a day- and that's if we take our time. Right this simple wrong and all will be well".

Tyrion narrowed his eyes at her. "You want more than Dragonstone and your independence. You _also_ wish to extort us".

Dany shrugged. "Choose to look at it as you will. We will have four dragons to feed. Four _ferocious_ appetites. Help us help you. Provide us with the means to care for them and in exchange, we'll keep them from wreaking havoc on your lands".

"And if we don't comply, you'll what? Burndown King's Landing? A _gain_?", Tyrion asked voice laced with mistrust.

"Watch your tongue, Lord Tyrion", Jon warned.

Dany didn't bother to hide the venom in her voice when she addressed Tyrion again. "You thought I was a monster before I had my twins. How far do you think I will go for them?"

Tyrion did his best to look unaffected. "The fact remains that while the crown may consider giving you Dragonstone, we simply can't afford the expenditure of your _other_ demands".

"I know exactly what the crown can afford. We discussed it at length when _I_ was your Queen. It's a small price to pay for the protection of dragons".

"Protection _of_ or _from?"_

Dany's calm exterior had returned. "Either way. It's expensive".

Before Tyrion could respond, Jon interjected. "Take our terms back to King Bran. Meet us back here an hour before dusk".

Jon held out his arm to Dany, and she took it giving him a soft smile that made Tyrion heartsick. He watched as they mounted Drogon and took off into the sky.

\-------------------------

Settled back at the Red Keep, Tyrion was pouring himself a chalice of wine while seated with the council. He and Ser Davos had just finished imparting news of their less than successful meeting with the young dragonlords.

Brianne looked the most concerned. "They now have _four_ dragons and they want to settle as close as Dragonstone?"

Ser Davos shook his head and turned to King Bran, "Your sister has put us in quite a predicament, Your Grace".

Bran answered flatly, "She has".

Tyrion rubbed his forehead, fighting his pounding headache, "I don't see how we can refuse them that cursed island and who wants it anyway?"

"Probably who's ever living there now", Bronn stated matter of factly.

Brienne looked horrified at the passivity around her. "They could besiege King's Landing in a matter of _hours_ from Dragonstone!"

Tyrion nodded with a somber expression. "They could _melt_ King's Landing in a matter of hours from Dragonstone".

Bronn leaned back in his chair. "We can go the assassination route, but with the Northerner's botched job, it wouldn't be wise to try just yet".

Ser Davos added, "Not to mention if we fail, it is assured this city will be burnt to the ground".

Feeling inept, Tyrion looked for a way to make the best of the mess they were in. "They _say_ they aren't interested in the crown. Have you seen anything to suggest otherwise, Your Grace?"

Bran waited a moment before speaking. "I have not. They were content to stay in Queenscrown before a visit from my sister. In truth, only one of their dragons is a threat right now. We could arm the walls with ballistas, resist them and maybe we can take down Drogon, but more likely, he will burn what we have rebuilt back to dust and ash.

"Our goal is to bring lasting peace to the Seven Kingdoms. For better or worse, the Targaryens are still apart of it".

"Better they become rich and happy Lords and Ladies than conquerors", Ser Davos added.

Tyrion looked down at the red wine in his cup. "What they are asking for in payment, is not sustainable long term. We could agree to it for a short period of time until they can sustain themselves".

Bran looked around at his council slowly, 

"Very well. Jon and Daenerys Targaryen. 

The Lord and Lady of Dragonstone".

\-------------------------

Ser Davos and Lord Tyrion were already waiting when Drogon touched down. He watched Dany approach them with the nerve befitting a Queen and he realized then he missed seeing the air of authority she once carried.

She looked at the men with her head held high and asked brightly, "My Lords. Do you bring us glad tidings?"

Ser Davos looked at her with his usual serious countenance. "Our King has agreed to give to you Dragonstone and all of its vassals".

"Upon your word that you never seek more than that", Tyrion added soberly.

"Upon our honor, never without provocation", Jon replied politely.

Tyrion looked to Dany. "As far as the monetary issue- "

Dany and Tyrion went over the numbers, going back and forth with quips and veiled threats until they reached a temporary agreement they would revisit in a year's time.

Once that issue was settled, Ser Davos asked pointedly, "What are your intentions with the Queen in the North?"

Jon felt his mood darken at the mention of his sister. "We have no desire for violence. We've sent terms of _peace_ to her as well".

Practically beaming, Dany turned to the old knight, "Ser Davos, we will need someone to oversee the transition of Dragonstone to our hands and to receive our servants from Essos. Might we persuade you to take on the responsibility?"

Ser Davos looked surprised, "I'd hate to leave my wife again".

"Why not bring her? Maybe she will find Dragonstone to her liking", Dany suggested.

\-------------------------

The lights of King's Landing were fading in the distance as the stars overhead began to shine brighter. Drogon's warmth fought away the cold of the night as they headed north.

They had done their best to keep their demeanor inscrutable during their meeting with King Bran's council but now she felt powerful energy flowing through her.

She smiled back at Jon, who leaned into her and kissed her greedily. "I can't believe that worked!"

"You are exceedingly clever", he whispered in her ear.

"No, just ruthless like a Targaryen".

\-------------------------

No amount of wine took away the near pounding headache he had since starting the journey north to Winterfell. If he were honest, the throbbing in his head truly had started the day he had laid eyes on Daenerys Targaryen, back from death's icy grip.

Sometimes he wondered if it was guilt, and then he would do his best to drown those thoughts with Dornish Red until he forgot them.

He loathed being back in Winterfell and he wondered if it would grow more unpleasant with each trip. 

Ser Davos had the privilege of going to Dragonstone to help make for a smooth transition. He would most assuredly get to see _her_ again and no amount of wine could bury his feelings of jealousy.

Sansa was ready for him when he entered, sitting behind her orderly desk. She didn't look nearly as self-satisfied as she had the first time she had seen him and if he didn't know better, he might have even said he sensed _fear._

She spoke in the same frosty tone. "Are you here to discuss a plan of action against my brother and his monstrous wife?"

Tyrion blinked. "Plan of action? What would you have us do? A clandestine assassination was our best chance, but from what we've been told, your attempt was a miserable failure".

Sansa ruffled at his words. "At least I acted. That's more than I can say of the Seven Kingdoms. What have _you_ done?"

"We've tried to keep the peace. Ser Davos is at Dragonstone as we speak. Organizing their household".

"She burns a city to the ground and you reward her with a castle,? A castle by the sea?"

"A castle on an island. It wasn't a reward. It was an obligation- to keep her from burning the city down _again_ ".

Sansa stood abruptly, the screech of her chair across the stone floor making him flinch. "My own _brother_. He flew to my castle and threatened me. Now, he sends me a letter of extortion!"

"What did you think would happen when you tried to murder the mother of his children?"

Sansa was now all but yelling. "She is a monster! She's always been a monster!"

"It seems your brother disagrees, and now, thanks to you, they've reached farther than they ever intended to. At least in this lifetime...".

"My brother is a fool, just like you were. Falling for her beauty. Falling all over yourselves to give her everything".

"You never really feared she was a monster. You feared she would diminish your power in the North. She meant to leave you alone but you couldn't let the past rest".

Calm fell back over Sansa like a shroud and he felt a tingling in his spine. "That's true, My Lord. It's also true that you let your love for her cloud your judgment, as you're doing now".

Tyrion huffed and shook his head, "I conspired _with_ Jon Snow to _murder her"._

_"_ Yes, your allegiance seemed to change when your neck was on the line. And now she has taken my brother for her husband. I guess she's a fool for a pretty face as well. Where does that leave you, My Lord?"

When Tyrion didn't answer, she changed the subject. "What they are asking for will cripple the North. They want me to send it to their precious Queenscrown".

"At least it's staying in the North".

Sitting back in her chair, she looked across the room and out a window. Feeling something like pity he added, "Your Grace, your friends at King's Landing would be happy to offer their council to you at any time".

"Will that be all Lord Tyrion?"

\-------------------------

The night was alive with the sound of merriment and music. People drank deeply from their cups, dancing, and singing amongst friends.

Little Robb and Alysanne were in the care of several village girls nearby who doted on them happily, with Ghost sitting at their feet.

"Our King Crow and Mother of Dragons have decided to leave us!", Tormund bellowed to the crowd. His declaration elicited protestations from their gathered friends and neighbors although they had known for many weeks they would be leaving. 

Tormund went on, taking heavy pulls from his great horn in between. "I tried to get them to leave me one dragon, but alas! At least we won't worry about having to feed them!"

Raising a toast to them, the gathered crowd did the same. "You are welcome among the Freefolk anytime!"

The villagers cheered and went back to their night of revelry.

Tormund walked over to Jon and threw an arm over his shoulder, "I meant what I said. I didn't know how we were going to feed those beasts. But I am going to miss you, Little Crow".

"You're going to miss me? You're going to see me in a month when you bring Ghost to me. And you know I will need to visit the North often".

Val rushed forward, throwing hands around Dany's waist. "What am I going to do without you, Southern girl? I've never had a friend like you".

"Nor I you", she told her, hugging her back.

"Maybe you'll like Dragonstone so much you'll stay". 

"We shall see", she said before walking away. 

They were standing alone now and Dany took notice of the people close by dancing. Dancing in ways she had never quite seen before.

"Do you like to dance?", she asked giving Jon a wide toothy grin.

"Not at all", he said with a pouty look that begged her not to make him.

"Will you do it for me anyway?"

Groaning loudly, he spun her around and around as she giggled in surprise. "There. Is that enough for you?"

Dany looked around at the other people dancing and pointed to another couple. "Lift me up, and spin me like that".

He obliged while she laughed from her belly. 

Setting her down, he asked, "Are you satisfied now?"

"You're hopeless. Take me home...".

\-------------------------

They looked around their little cottage one last time- at least until the next time they might visit. Jon remembered the shame he felt bringing his wife and queen here in the beginning. He had known she belonged in a castle with servants and fancy clothes and his heart had been heavy with shame that this was the best he could do for her.

Now, as he looked around the humble room with its worn furnishings, he found himself missing the simplicity already.

Dany's voice roused him from his thoughts.

"Remember our first night here?"

"Of course. I remember your rations, and the tea you made me. I kissed you too quickly and almost scared you away".

"That's not quite how I remember it. We seemed to have worked through that issue".

"You let me hold you all night".

"I slept more peacefully that night than I had in so long".

"Are you ready to leave it all behind?"

"No".

"Looks like you're leaving that bow". He chuckled, pointing to her longbow propped up in the corner.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm terrible at it and we both know it. Doesn't matter anyway, I'm a dragon rider".

Stepping outside, they looked at their little home in the morning light. It looked cheery and inviting with its red door and budding little apple tree. 

Little Alysanne was wrapped against her and she felt sweat forming against her chest from the heat if her daughter's cheek.

Wrapping a free arm around his back, she leaned against Jon who had little Robb wrapped tightly to him.

She couldn't believe they were leaving. They had loved their little home. It had been their warm place to hide and the place they learned to love and trust one another again. The place where their children had been born and the place they had thought they might grow old.

"What will you miss most?", she asked him.

He took time before answering, "All of it".

Her heart ached. "Me too".

\-------------------------

Jon was feeling overheated as they touched down on the beach of Dragonstone. Between the heat from Drogon and the heat from Robb wrapped against his chest, he was missing the northern climate already.

The scent of salt was on the warm breeze as he climbed down carefully, helping Dany and Alysanne do the same.

"Here we are. The last _four_ Targaryen's on Dragonstone", Dany said, looking around with a peaceful calm. "You were a King and I was a Queen the first time we were here together".

"Not the last Targaryens", he told her, kissing the top of Robb's head as he chewed his fist. "And we'll be far happier as a Lord and Lady than we ever were as monarchs".

"This couldn't be more different than when I first came here from across the Narrow Sea. It truly feels like home now".

An idea popped into Jon's head and he unwrapped Robb from his chest as he babbled excitedly.

He lowered his son to the ground, holding him up by his arms as he walked about clumsily, squealing in triumph.

"Look! Taking his first steps on Dragonstone!"

Dany laughed and shook her head.

"Shall we take the long way up?", she asked gesturing to the long, winding stone stair.

As they made their ascent, Jon looked at the beauty around him in a new way. The sharp cliffs plummeting to the ocean now unnerved him.

"Gods, we are never letting the children play up there", he said motioning to the cliffs.

"There are plenty of other places".

When they reached the top of the stair, the massive castle towered over them.

He heard Dany coo at their daughter, "Look Alysanne, it's your home".

Pulling Dany into him, the four of them huddled close together, preparing to walk into another life.

\------------------------

They crept outside of their own room where their twins were finally sleeping soundly in their cradles. It had been a long first day full of reunions and first meetings. 

Reuniting with Greyworm had been the most emotional. He had taken it upon himself to bring a host of Unsullied Guards who had agreed to come into their service. He would only stay a short time before returning to Naath.

A young nursemaid would sit with the twins until they returned and two Unsullied were posted outside the door. Still, Jon would feel better when Ghost arrived.

He followed Dany's slender figure down the dimly lit hallway.

She gave him a smile over her shoulder.

"This castle is somewhat bigger than our cottage. I think the whole of Queenscrown could fit inside".

"Our chambers are bigger than our entire cottage. It will take some getting used to".

"You have an obligation to begin to fulfill tonight, _My Lord_ ".

" _My Lady_ , I'm not sure what you mean"

_"_ If you remember, you promised to _eat my cunt_ in every room of this castle".

Her brazen language, so out of character, surprised him and he stifled a laugh. "My Lady, you'll make a man blush".

"So you're not going to fuck me on the painted table then?"

"I-"

"That's fine. I'll just reacquaint myself with the castle", she taunted him before running ahead.

Feeling blood rush through his body, he took off after her, taking satisfaction in the way she yelped as he caught her in her arms and threw her over his shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going? Do you realize how many rooms there are in this castle?", he told her as she smacked his backside. "I'll need to get to work right away".

"Good thing we have the rest of our lives".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, 
> 
> Sorry that update took so long! Writing a final chapter is harder than I anticipated.
> 
> I decided to stop being lazy and name the baby dragons. I just picked names I liked from asoiaf wiki. Except for Silverwing. That was the name of Good Queen Alysanne's dragon. 
> 
> Thank you so much for your kind responses. I hope it was a satisfying ending for you. 
> 
> I am planning to make a part 2 that will pick up where that one left off and I made it into a series if you want to subscribe to that 😊
> 
> I fell in love with this Jon and Dany and I don't want to let them go!
> 
> Thank you so much again! Everyone that comments and kudos made this so fun to write. 
> 
> Shameless plug: If you haven't already, you should check out my new fic: The Princess and the Bastard 😁

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed. If anyone is interested in being beta, I would love and greatly appreciate that!
> 
> I plan to post a new chapter every 1 to 2 weeks. This will be a slow burn with eventual sexy times and a happy ending. 
> 
> Jon will be out of character in that he has discovered the art of speech. He will not continue to repeat, "you will always be my queen". Sorry in advance.
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated! They are like tokens that make fluff, smut and angst come out. I have no shame!
> 
> Fuck d&d forever!


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